S&S - Forces pay cash for intel, injuries

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Forces pay cash for intel, injuries


By Christopher Torchia, The Associated Press

Online Edition, Friday, February 19, 2010

Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy


Rear Adm. Norman Hayes, U.S. European Command's new intelligence director.

BADULA QULP, Afghanistan — The fallout of war has a price in southern Afghanistan.

U.S. Army units fighting the Taliban in Helmand province have a compensation system for any death, injury or damage to crops and buildings caused by American forces to Afghan civilians and their property.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Financial compensation in desperately poor Afghanistan is at least one way to alleviate distress and show the good intentions of the NATO forces, military commanders say."

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"The system is also useful for gathering intelligence on insurgents, said 1st Sgt. Gene Hicks, of Tacoma, Wash.

The military pays villagers for information about the location of roadside bombs as well as “where they’ve seen people at, where they’ve seen people moving, where they’ve seen people shooting from,” Hicks said.

His group has paid out nearly $500 so far for information on insurgent movements alone."