Worker for US defense contractor killed in Iraq as colleagues say they are pressured to stay [View all]

Source: The Guardian

Sun 5 Apr 2026 07.00 EDT
Last modified on Sun 5 Apr 2026 07.01 EDT


A man employed by the US defense contractor V2X has been killed in a drone attack on Erbil airbase, amid concerns from colleagues that they are being placed in harm’s way and pressured to remain in Iraq despite security risks, five sources said. The worker, from Kenya, died in a night attack in his sleeping quarters on the base on 24 March.

Another five workers were injured. They are from Kenya and India, and are among a group of about 45 workers employed by V2X who have remained on the base. One of the workers is in a critical condition with severe burns, sources said. “The company has messed up here bad,” said a source speaking on the condition of anonymity. “He didn’t have to die. The company thought it was more important to keep the mission going rather than get people to safety.”

V2X has almost 300 employees in Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, who are mainly American, Indian and Kenyan. Other US defense contractors active on Erbil’s military base, including Lockheed Martin and Amentum, evacuated their staff several weeks ago, according to V2X workers interviewed, who question why efforts have not been made to repatriate them. Lockheed Martin and Amentum did not respond to requests for comment.

The interviewees, who have asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation by the company, describe an ongoing culture of fear among employees and perceived hostility from management.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/05/us-defense-contractor-v2x-worker-killed-iraq