New Zealand Government Pays Blood Money To Families of Their Victims

Two civilians, Mohammad Sadiq and Abdul Mobin, were shot dead by SAS troopers in December 2010 during a raid on a factory in the Afghanistan capital.
The pair were killed as they carried out their duties as security guards and were not linked to the Taliban or other enemies of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, of which New Zealand is a part.
The payments were discussed during briefings with Parliament's foreign affairs, defence and trade committee late last year.
The committee's post-briefing six-page report - obtained by the Sunday Star-Times - said: "The ex gratia payments were consistent with rules of engagement, and were not considered to be compensation. It is practice in Afghanistan, and in other parts of the world, to make payments to families of those killed, in order to prevent revenge-driven retaliation." READ MORE