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Pakistani Man Seeks Compensation Over Drone Strike Deaths

30 November 2010 00:48 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. A Pakistani man says he will sue the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) if he does not receive $500 million in compensation for the death of his son and brother in a U.S. missile strike in northwest Pakistan.

Kareem Khan and his lawyer said Monday they will sue CIA Director Leon Panetta if they do not receive the money within two weeks.

Khanâ€™s lawyer, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, said the lawsuit will be filed in Pakistan and, if necessary, at the International Criminal Court of Justice at The Hague.

Khan says his relatives and another civilian were killed when a missile hit his house in North Waziristan on December 31, 2009.

Khan said at a press conference in Islamabad that his son and brother were â€œinnocent people,â€ who had no links to terrorist groups.

REST OPT

Pakistani officials say, however, the December 31st missile strike in the town of Mir Ali killed at least three militants.

Analysts say it is unlikely the United States will cooperate with Pakistani courts, making Khanâ€™s efforts to receive compensation very difficult.

The case is expected to draw attention to the issue of civilian casualities caused by U.S. drone attacks in Pakistanâ€™s tribal region.

U.S. officials do not acknowledge the missile strikes in Pakistan. The attacks are deeply unpopular with the Pakistani public and are criticized by the government in Islamabad.

Drone attacks are frequent in the semi-autonomous region of North Waziristan, where U.S. authorities believe many Taliban and al-Qaida members live and prepare attacks in Afghanistan.