US defense chief faces pressure over unpaid military operation compensations

Human-rights advocates sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asking him to speed-up payments for civilian losses in US military actions (this request comes as many families still wait for answers)

The issue affects people in multiple regions where US forces conducted counter-terror ops:

• Iraq
• Syria
• Somalia
• Yemen

These families filed their claims years-ago but the process seems stuck – its moving way too slow despite Bidenʼs team promise to handle such cases better. The Defense Departmentʼs handling of civilian-casualty cases needs a major re-work: many Middle-Eastern and African families dont know if theyʼll ever get help

The compensation system isnt working as planned which makes rights groups worry about US credibility in conflict zones. The whole situation puts extra pressure on Austin to fix long-standing payment delays that affect hundreds of families across different countries