Veterans' advocacy organizations have filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Defense for the release of toxic substances at the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan, ABC News reports.
This military installation is believed to be accountable for a variety of diseases, such as cancer, suffered by American soldiers who fought in Afghanistan.
The complaint claims that military authorities suppressed details regarding toxic materials prevalent at the facility from 2001 to 2005, including uranium, asbestos, and chemical weapons. According to the complaint, the pollutants included puddles of "black goo" that caused armed service members to pass out. At least 15,800 soldiers served at the station, and personnel there became sick and died at higher-than-usual rates.
The lawsuit requires data concerning hazardous chemicals and military contamination in order to help ill soldiers receive medical evaluations and treatment.
The former Soviet armed forces maintained Karshi-Khanabad for years prior to the US troops using it to assist missions into Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks. According to the US authorities, Soviet forces left behind pollution from a variety of hazardous materials, including low-level radioactive depleted uranium from the site's weapon destruction and jet fuel.
The respondents in the case are the Stronghold Freedom Foundation and the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, which are represented by Yale Law School's Veterans Legal Services Clinic.
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