Netherlands to compensate relatives of victims of Afghanistan airstrike

The Dutch government announced Friday it will not appeal a court order to pay compensation to relatives of civilians who were killed in an airstrike in Afghanistan.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement that there would be no objection to the ruling that calls for compensation to relatives of civilians who died in 2007 in the operation in the Chora district of Uruzgan province, the Associated Press reported.

The District Court of The Hague found in November that the late-night attack violated international humanitarian law. The court sided with four survivors of the attack who sued the Dutch state for compensation.

The defense ministry argued that buildings were being used by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) fighters when the military hit the walled compound, known as a “quala,” with munitions fired from attack helicopters and F-16s.

In a letter to lawmakers Friday, Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said that 15 years after the attack, the ministry “does not have any further or additional information to substantiate the fact that the quala was a military target at that time.”

“The State will therefore not lodge an appeal. The State will comply with the court’s ruling by proceeding to pay compensation. The extent of the damage has yet to be determined,” she wrote.