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

The intervention follows reporting by the Guardian that V2X employees were stationed at US military bases in Kuwait, and at Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih airbase and Erbil in Iraq. Employees claimed having inadequate protections, receiving limited communications from the company about evacuation plans and being pressured to remain in the Middle East. In Iraq, workers say they are targets of Iran-allied attacks, and one employee was killed in a night-time drone attack in March.

On 9 April, representatives of the US Department of State held a meeting with members of V2X leadership during which concerns were raised about local militia launching an attack on the Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih airbase, two sources said. The company has a Logistics Civil Augmentation Program contract to provide base operating support and security services in Iraq in a $252m deal.

“The US government had a meeting with the company today questioning why Americans are still on base, asking if the articles in the Guardian are true,” said one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from the company. “V2X told the government that they had to keep them there to ‘please the client’, and the company was told, ‘You know they’ll kill them. It’s just too dangerous.’”

The government officials at the meeting asked if the company had contacted US Central Command (Centcom) – the combatant command of the US Department of Defense responsible for military operations – for help evacuating its staff, the source said. The government representatives also ordered an airplane to be returned to base in case of an emergency evacuation, said a second source.

The state department did not respond to a request for comment.

At the Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih airbase, also known as the Balad airbase, employees interviewed say there are no plans to evacuate them. Should they try to leave, V2X management has said it will be regarded as a “voluntary evacuation” and they will lose their jobs, because the security situation is not dire enough, according to sources and messages seen by the Guardian. Efforts to keep workers in Iraq are due to the company’s fears that the Iraqi government will end the contract, sources allege.

However, workers interviewed said they hear and see drone activity and gunfire most days and nights, which is affecting their mental health and ability to sleep.

“The overall regional threat environment, particularly for US personnel, facilities and energy infrastructure, remains assessed as VERY HIGH, with minimal warning time for escalation,” an email sent to employees on 14 April said.

The email added that Iranian-aligned proxy groups retain the capability and intent to conduct attacks against US-associated targets within Iraq. “As such, the current lull in activity should be viewed as temporary and potentially situational rather than indicative of reduced threat,” it said.

Earlier this month, there was an incident where one of the base’s own defense weapons was fired into the camp by an Iraqi soldier, hitting and damaging a fortified wall surrounding living quarters. “Senior leadership visited the base to investigate, the problem was identified and the soldier disciplined, with actions taken to prevent a recurrence,” the email said.

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

Since the start of the US-Israel conflict with Iran, employees have raised concerns with V2X leadership that the bunkers on the base do not provide adequate protection against an attack.

In an email from V2X management seen by the Guardian, the company acknowledged requests from employees that their bunkers be sandbagged and reinforced, and said it was “looking at this to be accomplished”.

“I’m starting to feel like I won’t make it out of here,” said a second source. “Everyone is anxious and scared.”

The Guardian has approached V2X for comment. The company did not respond by the time of publication, and it has not offered statements in response to the previous three articles.

Separately, in Erbil in northern Iraq, V2X has maintained a presence under an active contract, with several hundred employees, primarily American, Indian and Kenyan nationals. After the outbreak of conflict, most personnel were housed in a local hotel, which lacked security measures and allowed unrestricted access to the public, heightening fears among V2X employees that they could be targeted by Iran-aligned militant groups operating in the region.

Several senior members of V2X management, including the task order manager and site manager, departed Erbil and evacuated in late March, further intensifying concerns among those who remained.

On 14 April, V2X evacuated about 100 of these employees from Iraq, upon instructions from the US government to reduce its headcount in Erbil, after the Guardian’s reports about the situation, two sources said.

“Soon after the article came out and after airspace resumed, they sent out 104 employees by charter plane to their homes,” said a third source. “But not everybody got to leave. The company said the military still requires us for assistance with missions.”

The workers who were evacuated “were excited like little school kids”, a fourth source said.