Judge awards $88 million to slain contractor’s company
A military contractor whose president was killed in Iraq under mysterious circumstances 15 years ago has won a judgment of more than $88 million against Iraq to reimburse the contractor for funds it never received.
The judgment issued Aug. 27 by a federal judge in Washington caps a nine-year legal battle between Pennsylvania-based Wye Oak technology and the Republic of Iraq.
Wye Oak says its president, Dale Stoffel, was slain in Iraq in December 2004 after complaining his company wasn’t paid more than $20 million it was owed for refurbishing tanks to help the Iraqi military get back on its feet after the 2003 war.
A terrorist group claimed responsibility for Stoffel’s death, but witnesses testified at trial that Stoffel was really killed to avoid paying his company. AP
Lebanese army fires at Israeli drones that entered airspace
Lebanese army gunners opened fired at two of three Israeli reconnaissance drones Aug. 28 after they entered Lebanese airspace, a security official and the state news agency said, amid heightened tensions between the two countries.
The incident occurred in the village of Adeisseh, a few kilometers from the Israeli border. The security official told The Associated Press that the drones left Lebanese airspace after being fired on and that none of them was shot down.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
The incident came just days after an alleged Israeli drone crashed in a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, landing on the militant group’s Beirut media office while another exploded midair and crashed nearby.
Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, called it an act of aggression and vowed to retaliate and confront Israeli drones in Lebanese skies from now on. On Aug. 26, Israeli drones attacked a Palestinian base in the country’s east, further raising tensions.
Israeli forces along the border with Lebanon are on high alert, raising fears of a repeat of the 2006 war. AP