The Dutch government said Friday it will not appeal a court ruling that Dutch forces illegally bombed a residential compound in Afghanistan in 2007, killing about 20 civilians, in a civil case brought by four survivors.
The District Court in The Hague ruled in November that the nighttime 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 Taliban fighters were using the buildings when the military attacked the walled compound, known as “quala”, with munitions fired from attack helicopters and F-16s.
THE TALIBAN SAYS THEY HAVE NOT FOUND THE BODY OF THE AL QAEDA TERRORIST HIT BY A US DRONE ATTACK IN KABUL
The Dutch were part of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan at the time and were fighting the Taliban in a battle for control of the Chora Valley, some 500 miles southwest of the capital Kabul.
Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren attends the Joint Expeditionary Force Summit in Riga, Latvia, December 19, 2022. The Dutch government says it will not appeal a court ruling that Dutch forces illegally bombed a compound in Afghanistan in 2007.
(AP Photo/Roman Koksarov)
However, some 12 hours had passed since the Taliban last used the site as a firing position when the shelling occurred, and the judges concluded that the military did not have enough information to designate the compound as a military target.
AFGHANISTAN PROBLEM ‘HERE TO STAY’, TOP 2022 CONFLICTS TO WATCH LIST: FOREIGN POLICY EXPERTS
In a letter to lawmakers on Friday, Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said that 15 years after the attack, the ministry “has no further information or additional information to substantiate the fact that the quala was a military target at the time.” “.
“Therefore, the State will not file an appeal. The State will comply with the court ruling and proceed to pay compensation. The extent of the damage has yet to be determined,” he wrote.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Liesbeth Zegveld, the Dutch lawyer who represented the survivors in court, said she had informed them through an intermediary in Afghanistan and they were relieved by the government’s decision.
Ollongren, in his letter to parliament, said his thoughts were “for the civilian victims of the Taliban attack in the Chora valley and their loved ones. And for those who lost their lives protecting the civilian population during the defense of Chora , including a Dutch Soldier, his relatives and comrades”.
