US urges contractor to evacuate workers from Kuwait and Iraq over worries of Iran-backed attacks | US-Israel war on Iran

The US government has called on defense contractor V2X to evacuate its employees from Kuwait and Iraq and warned the company that they could be targeted by Iran-backed militias, four sources said.

The intervention follows Guardian reporting that V2X employees were deployed at US military bases in Kuwait, Martyr Brigadier Ali Flaih air base and Erbil in Iraq. Employees claimed they had inadequate protections, received limited communication from the company about evacuation plans, and were pressured to remain in the Middle East. Workers in Iraq say they are the target of attacks by Iranian allies, and a worker was killed in a nighttime drone strike in March.

Two sources said that on April 9, US State Department representatives held a meeting with V2X leaders, during which concerns were expressed about local militias launching an attack on Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih air base. The company has a Logistics Civilian Enhancement Program contract to provide base operating support and security services in Iraq. $252 million to agree.

“The US government had a meeting with the company today questioning why the Americans were still at the bases and questioning whether the articles in the Guardian were true,” said a source who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from the company. “V2X told the government they had to keep them there to ‘satisfy the customer,’ and the company was told, ‘You know they’re going to kill them. It’s too dangerous.'”

The source said government officials at the meeting asked whether the company had contacted U.S. Central Command (Centcom), the U.S. Department of Defense’s combatant command responsible for military operations, to help evacuate its personnel. A second source said government representatives also ordered an aircraft to be sent back to base in case of emergency evacuation.

The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Employees interviewed at Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih air base, also known as Balad air base, say they have no plans to evacuate themselves. According to sources and messages seen by the Guardian, V2X management said that if they tried to leave it would be considered a “voluntary evacuation” and they would lose their jobs because the security situation was not dire enough. Sources claim that efforts to keep workers in Iraq stemmed from the company’s fear that the Iraqi government would terminate the contract.

But workers interviewed said they heard and saw drone activity and gunfire most days and nights, affecting their mental health and ability to sleep.

“The overall regional threat environment, particularly to U.S. personnel, facilities, and energy infrastructure, is assessed as VERY HIGH with minimal warning time for escalation,” an April 14 email to employees said. It was said.

The email stated that Iran-affiliated proxy groups maintain the ability and intention to attack US-affiliated targets in Iraq. “Therefore, the current lull in activity should be viewed as temporary and potentially situational rather than indicative of a diminished threat,” he said.

Earlier this month, there was an incident in which one of the base’s own defensive weapons was fired into the camp by an Iraqi soldier, hitting and damaging the fortified wall surrounding the living quarters. “Senior leadership visited the base to investigate, the problem was identified, and appropriate action was taken to discipline the soldier and prevent recurrence,” the email said.

In a separate email, workers also warned about the risks of unexploded ordnance on the base.

Since the beginning of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, employees have expressed concerns to V2X leadership that the bunkers at the base did not provide adequate protection against an attack.

In an email from V2X management seen by the Guardian, the company acknowledged demands from employees for shelters to be sandbagged and reinforced and said it was “looking at achieving this”.

“I’m starting to feel like I can’t get out of here,” a second source said. “Everyone is worried and afraid”

The Guardian approached V2X for comment. The company did not respond at the time of publication and had not made any statements in response to the three previous articles.

Separately, in Erbil in northern Iraq, V2X maintains an active contractual presence with hundreds of employees, primarily American, Indian and Kenyan citizens. After the outbreak of the conflict, most of the staff were housed in a local hotel, which had no security measures and allowed unrestricted access to the public; This has raised fears among V2X employees that they may be targeted by Iran-linked militant groups operating in the region.

The departure and evacuation of several senior members of V2X management from Erbil in late March, including the task order manager and field manager, further increased the concerns of those who remained.

Two sources said V2X evacuated about 100 of those employees from Iraq on April 14, following instructions from the US government to reduce staff numbers in Erbil, following Guardian reports on the situation.

“Shortly after the article was published and the airspace reopened, they sent 104 employees home on a charter plane,” a third source said. “But not everyone had to go. The company said the military still needed help with missions.”

A fourth source said the evacuated workers were “as excited as little school children.”