The value of life in Afghanistan

The families of 16 Afghan villagers killed this month by a rampaging American soldier were given $50,000 by the United States for each of their slain relatives, Afghan and American officials said. The payments were made on Saturday by American military officers at the office of the governor of Kandahar province, where the killings took place. Those wounded in the violence were each given $11,000, said Haji Agha Lalai, a member of the Kandahar provincial council. more