Two Connecticut veterans’ advocacy groups Monday filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Defense (DoD) in a federal court in Connecticut. The groups asked the court to compel the DoD to release records of toxic conditions at the Karshi-Khanabad (K2) air base in Uzbekistan.

The Connecticut Veterans Legal Center and Stronghold Freedom Foundation filed the suit seeking relief under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which provides individuals with the right to request access to federal agency records if the records are not protected under the nine exemptions in the act. The groups allege that military officials knew of and covered up previous operations at the K2 base by the Soviet Union, the previous owner of the base, in which toxins were dumped and scattered throughout the base. Included among the alleged toxins are uranium, jet fuel and nerve agents.

The veterans’ advocacy groups allege that the officials covered this knowledge up and allowed US armed forces to reside at the base. As a result, veterans were exposed to the toxic chemicals and later contracted illnesses caused by the exposure, including nausea, loss of consciousness and headaches. Later, the complaint says, many of the veterans who were stationed at the K2 base were diagnosed with cancer linked to their exposure to the toxins.

Under the FOIA, the groups are requesting relief and for the DoD to disclose and release the records in its possession that are not exempt under the act.