April 8, 2002	Monday	Muharram 24, 1423

KABUL, April 7: The American embassy in Kabul said Sunday that it had recommended that Washington pay compensation to civilian victims of the six-month-old bombing campaign in Afghanistan.

Michael Metrinko, the head of the embassy’s political and consular section, told reporters he was awaiting an answer from Washington to the recommendation after he met Afghans who had been injured or bereaved in the campaign.

“The embassy has recommended that a positive response to this (the compensation claims) be given. This is the embassy recommendation,” he said outside the newly-reopened embassy.

“If and when we get answer from (Washington) then they will have to decide what is feasible, what is possible,” he added.

Metrinko, a Dari speaker, was visibly moved as he listened patiently to stories from victims many of whom had travelled hundreds of miles to Kabul.

Goma Khan had travelled from Kunduz with his eight-year-old daughter Amina to tell the diplomat how he lost 16 relatives when four bombs destroyed teir home late last year.

“What was our fault? We were bombed by the United States forces and now we want them to pay us for the damage they caused. He told us they would help us but we don’t know when,” Khan told reporters.

“We lost everytsaid she was making tea in the kitchen when the bombs struck.

“Our neighbours and other people helped us out. I lost my five brothers, two sisters, my mother, uncle and cousins.”

The event was organised by Global Exchange, a San Francisco-baseovernment to compensate civilian victims.

The organisation has been conducting a survey throughout Afghanistan to establish the number of civilians killed and the amount of damage.

“It’s been six months, it’s too long”, spokeswoman Marla Ruzmpensated more or less 10,000 dollars to rebuild their home, to provide economic and welfare programmes for women who can’t work and whose husbands have died.

“If there were 2,000 families that were impacted, that’s 20 million dollars — that’s the compensation claims. It’s the right thing to do.”

Ahmed Hashimi, who has been conducting field work for the Global Exchange survey, said it was the first time that the embassy had responded to their campaign.

“Nobody has gone to thoses of families are very mad about this, a lot of families are very sad about why nobody comes to our village.

“These families need help, support from the United States and for them to say they are sorry.”

Hashimi said the surveys had revealedt by bombs.

“Every village in Jalalabad that I myself surveyed, in every family there were six or seven people who had died,” he said.

The US-led campaign in Afghanistan began on October 7 last year. It is not known how many civilians have died.—AFP