A worker employed by the American defence contractor V2X has been killed in a drone attack on Erbil airbase, with colleagues claiming they are being pressured to stay in Iraq despite serious security risks, according to five sources. The man, a Kenyan national, died in his sleeping quarters during the night-time attack on 24 March. Five other workers were injured, including one reported to be in a critical condition with severe burns. The casualties are from Kenya and India and are among a group of around 45 V2X employees who have remained on the base.
V2X has nearly 300 employees in Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, mostly American, Indian and Kenyan. Workers said other defence contractors active on the base, including Lockheed Martin and Amentum, evacuated their staff several weeks ago. Those companies did not respond to requests for comment. One anonymous source said of V2X: “The company has messed up here bad. He didn’t have to die. The company thought it was more important to keep the mission going rather than get people to safety.”
Employees described a climate of fear and hostility from management when raising safety or evacuation concerns. They said V2X has told staff the security situation is not severe enough to warrant an organised evacuation, and that leaving voluntarily would be treated as resignation. One senior manager is said to have warned that departing employees would be blacklisted from future rehire. “Nobody is speaking up to leadership because we are afraid. They said they have no legal responsibilities to us if we decide to leave. We are on our own,” said a second source.
Workers also raised concerns about the hotel in Erbil where most of them are staying, saying it lacks a security checkpoint and members of the public can move freely around the premises. The majority of those housed there are American, and staff fear they could be targeted by Iran-aligned militants. “There’s no safety plan, no security, no evacuation plan,” said the first source. “We are one of the biggest targets just sitting here. Everybody in Erbil knows we’re here.”
On 2 April, the US Embassy in Baghdad issued an alert warning that Iraqi militias may intend to attack US citizens, businesses and other targets within 48 hours, and urged Americans to leave Iraq. Workers allege V2X may be reluctant to evacuate staff for fear of losing its contract to support Iraq’s F-16 fighter jet programme, a $252m logistics deal signed in November. “They don’t want to push the button, they are in fear of losing the contract. It would cost them money to get us out of here,” said the second source. “We have been in this hotel for a month — it means we’re not essential. They’re stringing us along.”
