Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida this week sought to correct a recognition glitch for those who suffered from a de
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida this week sought to correct a recognition glitch for those who suffered from a devastating shot fired early in America’s war on terrorism.
The Fort Walton Beach Republican filed a bill to allow victims of the June 1996 Khobar Tower bombing to seek compensation under a federal law intended to provide relief for families affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Since 2015, the U.S. government has had a fund to compensate Americans victimized by state-sponsored terrorism. The attacks date back to the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, in 1979.
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In June 1996, a truck bomb exploded outside the eight-story Khobar Towers in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The apartment complex housed U.S. and international troops responsible for enforcing a no-fly zone over southern Iraq.
A terrorist group backed by Iran claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 19 Americans and wounded 498 other U.S. and international troops.
According to the Air Force, at least 12 of those killed were airmen from Eglin Air Force Base near Gaetz’s hometown.
In December 2022, Congress passed the Fairness for 9/11 Families Act, which expanded the terror-victim compensation fund to include those affected by 9/11. It enabled them to receive “catch-up” funding that had not been available to them previously.
According to Gaetz’s office, however, that law included a provision that was intended to help Khobar Towers victims, but instead still excluded 75% of them by restricting payments exclusively to those who had not filed claims before the law passed on Dec. 29, 2022.
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Gaetz’s bill, if enacted, would make them eligible for some of the “catch-up” payments.
In a press release, Gaetz noted that many survivors of the bombing still reside in his district.
“My legislation seeks to fix a technical oversight that left many victims of the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing without the full compensation they deserve,” he said in a statement.
“It would ensure that all survivors, including the brave service members residing in Florida’s First Congressional District who bore the brunt of that tragic day, are treated with the fairness and respect owed to them,” said Congressman Gaetz.”
Joshua Ambush, a lawyer who represents more than 200 airmen and family members victimized by the Khobar Towers bombing, said in a statement that Gaetz was helping to “restore fairness and parity among the various groups of victims of these terror attacks.”
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