James McLaughlin, Contractor MPRI, Killed in Afghanistan

From the Press Democrat.com  April 28, 2011

A Santa Rosa man who had been working in Afghanistan for the past three years as a civilian contractor was one of nine Americans killed Wednesday in a shooting near Kabul International Airport.

James McLaughlin Jr., 55, and eight U.S. troops died early Wednesday when a veteran Afghan pilot opened fire during a meeting in a military compound near the airport.

His wife, Sandy McLaughlin, said Thursday she was notified that he had been shot to death, but was not told any of the circumstances.

“The only thing I know is an Afghan pilot opened fire and my husband was shot and killed,” she said.

Her husband retired as a lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Army in 2007, after 25 years in the service.

The following year, he began training helicopter pilots in Afghanistan for L-3 MPRI, an Alexandria, Va., division of the giant defense contractor, said Rick Kiernan, a vice president of communications for L-3.

“He was one of 12 trainers we have,” Kiernan said. “Having been a retired lieutenant colonel, his skills were in aviation.”

McLaughlin, who had lived in Sonoma County since 1987, was also an avid ham radio enthusiast. He helped set up a digital communications system for the ham operators who are part of the Sonoma County Office of Emergency Services disaster communications network, said Ken Harrison of Santa Rosa, a friend for 20 years and fellow ham operator.

In Afghanistan, McLaughlin worked on the U.S. Army Military Auxiliary Radio System, a Department of Defense-funded ham radio program that helped keep U.S. troops in contact with family at home.

“He didn’t talk too awful much about the danger,” Harrison said. “I think he liked to downplay that end of that. He didn’t want people to worry.”

McLaughlin’s death sent shock waves through the close-knit ranks of ham radio operators. He had been home in Santa Rosa two weeks ago before returning to Kabul.

“My gut hurts,” Harrison said. “He was just in town. I am upset that I didn’t get to see him.”

Wednesday’s attack was the fourth in the past two weeks in which someone wearing an Afghan security-force uniform struck from within a government compound.

The shooting occurred during a morning meeting between American and Afghan officers. Nine Americans were killed and five Afghan soldiers were wounded.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces killed the attacker in a gunfight.

L-3’s Kiernan said the shooting occurred in what has been considered a secure compound in Kabul.

“They are looking into the incident to find out what would have motivated the perpetrator,” said L-3’s Kiernan.

The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, identifying the assailant as a Taliban militant named Azizullah from a district of Kabul province.

The gunman’s brother insisted he was not a Taliban sympathizer. The attacker, identified as Ahmad Gul Sahebi, 48, was an officer who had served as a pilot in the Afghan military for two decades and was distressed over his personal finances, said the brother, Dr. Mohammad Hassan Sahibi.

“He was under economic pressures and recently he sold his house. He was not in a normal frame of mind because of these pressures,” Sahibi said. “He was going through a very difficult period of time in his life.”

Since March 2009, 48 NATO troops and military contractors have been killed in at least 16 attacks in which Afghans have turned their weapons on coalition forces, for reasons investigators later attributed to battlefield stress and personal animosity toward coalition soldiers, rather than Taliban infiltration.

Sandy McLaughlin said she was naturally concerned about his work in the war-torn country.

“This job was offered, he was using his military background and he was doing something he loved,” she said. “He loved doing the work.”

The couple had been married 28 years. They have three adult children, Adam McLaughlin, Eve McLaughlin-Suttif and James McLaughlin, all of Santa Rosa.

Sandy McLaughlin said her husband’s body is being brought back to Dover, Del., on Friday and then will be returned to Santa Rosa.

Please read more about James McLaughlin here

My Defense Base Act Attorney is not responding to my calls or emails

AWOL DBA Attorneys

This is a complaint we hear everyday from Injured Contractors.

There are different reasons why this may be happening to you but trust that none of them are good.

Do not wait to hear from an ALJ or the DoL that your claim has been lost or severely damaged due to missing a deadline or not having been filed properly.

If your DBA lawyer is not responsive to your questions and not keeping you updated on the status of your claim you need to contact the Department of Labor yourself to check up on the status of your claim.

Always be certain that the DoL has a current, accurate, address for you so that you will receive copies of all actions being taken on your claim by both sides.  If you do not understand what the paperwork you receive means you need to find out right away.     Often there are 10 day deadlines for responding that must be met.

Always stay on top of your DBA Claim yourself, always.

ArmorGroup’s Danny Fitzsimons faced charges for assault prior to being so negligently deployed

“If people start to recognise PTSD and do something about it, then at least some good has come out of this horrendous situation. Danny doesn’t deserve this. He has been let down by us, the Army and he has been let down by the ArmourGroup.”

Criminal Behavior and PTSD: An Analysis

A Middleton man jailed in Iraq for murdering two colleagues had been due to appear in court at home accused of assaulting an Asian man on a train.

Rochdale Online  April 26, 2011

But the family of security contractor Danny Fitzsimons said it is evidence that he is suffering form post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The 31-year-old was jailed for 20 years last month after shooting ArmorGroup colleagues Paul McGuigan and Darren Hoare in Baghdad in August, 2009.

His family said the ex–paratrooper, who served eight years in the forces, was tormented by his experiences in Kosovo and Iraq and should never have been given clearance to work for the security firm.

In April the same year, Fitzsimons was convicted of a public order offence after he fired a flare gun into the air to scare off teenagers causing trouble outside his flat in Middleton.

He was due to be sentenced at Bolton Crown Court and also appear on the assault charge.

Stepmother Liz Fitzsimons said: “There were youths climbing all over the roof of the flat he lived in. He went and tried to warn them off. He just got laughed at and a lot of abuse. That’s when he went back in the flat and got this flare gun.

“Any normal person not suffering from PTSD would have just phoned the police.”

She said of the assault on the train: “That wasn’t a racist attack. He felt threatened. There were three of them.”

Mrs Fitzsimons said the offences would not have happened if Danny had received support for his condition.

She said: “I feel very strongly that we have let him down because we did not know the severity of his illness. If we had known, we would have helped him so much. He is now in an Iraqi jail not getting treatment for PTSD. There is treatment available, but not in Iraq.”

She stressed the family’s sadness that two men had lost their lives but said: “If people start to recognise PTSD and do something about it, then at least some good has come out of this horrendous situation. Danny doesn’t deserve this. He has been let down by us, the Army and he has been let down by the ArmourGroup.”

PTSD and the Law

Please see the original here

Should we care if a contractor dies in a warzone?

“I’ll say it, because it’s true. If a few contractors get killed nobody seems to care,” he said. “We’ve over-relied on contractors because they’re, like, free.” 

Christopher Shays Commission on Wartime Contracting

How vital are contractors to U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan?

By Matthew Weigelt at Federal Computer Week

A former senior Defense Department official said April 25 contractor employees, who encompass half of the workers overseas, are at least worth a notice from the government when they are killed during their work in contingency operations.

DOD sends out multiple notices each day about military casualties, particularly in war zones in southwest Asia. The announcements note the soldier’s age, hometown, rank and battalion. They also say in very general terms how the solider died.

Meanwhile, contractors are seen as expendable or of little consequence, although they are vital to fulfilling operations, said Jacques Gansler, formerly undersecretary of defense for acquisition, logistics and technology. He made the comment to the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. DOD operations wouldn’t succeed without contractors, he said..

“Last week by coincidence I talked with the Department of Defense person who publishes the weekly listing of people killed, and I insisted that they also list the contractors,” he said, adding that more contractors have died often times than people in uniform.

Contractors are critical to the government’s success in contingency operations yet they’re undervalued despite being half of the total workforce and the crutch on which the government rests.

Gansler, who led the Commission on Army Acquisition and Program Management in Expeditionary Operations and is now with the University of Maryland’s Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise, said language matters in how contractors are described in publications and reports — or the lack of any mention — from the government.

If contractors are depicted only as the default option, they will continue to be cast in the same light, he said.

Christopher Shays, co-chairman of the commission and former House member, agreed with that view of contractors.

“I’ll say it, because it’s true. If a few contractors get killed nobody seems to care,” he said. “We’ve over-relied on contractors because they’re, like, free.”

Does the government — particularly DOD — need to give more attention to the deaths of contractors in combat zones? What do you think? Please click here to see the original post and to leave your comments

Tim Eysselinck, Ronco PTSD Casualty, Seven Years Ago Today

Tim Eysselinck

April 23, 2004

We lost Tim Eysslinck to PTSD seven years ago today.

May Ronco and their lies, CNA, Roger Levy, Gary Pitts, Judge Kennington and all who followed

carry the weight of having his family denied DBA benefits to their graves.

These are lives you so callously stomp on, neglect, abuse.

We’ve got your back Tim

L-3, MPRI Contractor Paul Almryde Killed in Suicide Blast in Afghanistan

Special honor escort scheduled for Friday evening

The Desert Dispatch

BARSTOW • A Barstow man killed last week while working as a military contractor in Afghanistan will be honored on Friday evening with a law enforcement escort as he is brought back to Barstow.

Paul Almryde, 46, was working for military contractor MPRI in Afghanistan as part of the Afghan National Army Corps support battalion on April 16 when he was killed by a suicide bomber, said his wife, Pamela Almryde. According to reports, a Taliban bomber dressed like an Afghan soldier in order to infiltrate a joint Afghan-U.S. base in the eastern province of Laghman. Four Afghan soldiers and five NATO service members — including Paul — were killed in the attack.

Rick Kiernan, a spokesman for MPRI, said the company wanted to express its condolences to the Almryde family and said that Paul was a “dedicated and professional member” of its team.

“At tragic times like these, we are reminded that we can never take for granted the sacrifices of L-3 MPRI employees worldwide,” said Kiernan. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Almryde family during this difficult time.”

Pamela said her husband was working as a mechanic at the base and was teaching Afghan troops how to repair their vehicles. Paul had served in the military for 21 years — with 12 years of active service in the Army and 9 years in the National Guard — before retiring in 2010 as a Master Sergeant. Paul joined MPRI last May. He was scheduled to come back to Barstow in June and was planning to sign another year-long contract with MPRI, said Pamela.

One of Paul’s neighbors, Jim Osbourn, is helping to organize the memorial on Friday because he wants to honor Paul’s memory as a service member. Osbourn said those wishing to honor his memory should get to Dana Park around 8:00 p.m., although the procession could be delayed because of traffic.

Please read more about Paul here

The Cost of Combat Stress: a Billion Dollars a Year

A billion for US Soldiers alone.  How much would it be if the Defense Base Act Insurance Carriers were providing the psychological and medical care for Injured War Zone Contractors that they are under contract, and often “Orders” to provide?

We have no way of counting contractor casualties much less contractor suicides.   Currently  there are more contractors on the ground in the war zones than soldiers and many of them exposed to the same dangers and atrocities.

Psychological support for War  Zone Contractors is nearly non extistent.  Some are able to utilize the severely overburdened VA system.  Thousands of foreign contractors are shipped back to their home countries without even the knowledge that they are covered under the Defense Base Act.

Psychological Support and treatment  for War Zone Contractors is the responsibility of  Employer and the Defense Base Act Insurance Carrier who are paid well for this.

Apparently the insurance premiums are assumed to be for profit because they are not being used to provide psychological and medical benefits to War Zone Contractors.

Madhumita Venkataramanan at Wired’s Danger Room

In a war, death comes in many forms: jury-rigged bombs, sleek fighter jets, assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades. But a stealthier killer lingers long after the fighting is done, in the psychological toll that combat exacts. More than 6,000 veterans take their own lives every year — about 20 percent of the 30,000 American suicides annually.

In an effort to quantify the psychological cost of war, a recent report from the National Bureau of Economic Research has come up with the magic numbers. They estimate that lower-bound costs of mental health problems from the global war on terror are between $750 million and $1.35 billion annually.

Despite trying everything from portable weatherproof brain scanners to drug treatments with ecstasy and MDMA, service members are still suffering with post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues.

In fact, 26 percent of returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan are depressed, drug and alcohol-dependent, homeless or suicidal, says the NBER report. This quoted number was independently calculated in a study done by the Rand Corporation, a non-profit policy and research think tank.

The NBER report brings some fresh insights to the table. Rather than assessing the mental impact of war through a measure of soldiers’ deployment length as other studies have done, this report assesses trauma through the type of combat soldiers have been involved in.

Although the results are pretty intuitive, the report establishes that those soldiers who “engage in frequent enemy firefight or witness allied or civilian deaths are at substantially increased risk for suicidal ideation, psychological counseling, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”

So, when the military decides which soldiers to deploy for active combat, they should be cognizant of where and not necessarily for how long, the soldier has been deployed before.

Also interesting: This report is the first military mental health study to use longitudinal data, from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, conducted by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

The dataset is a collection of health information from high school kids in 1994. The study did its most recent follow-up in 2008. It’s useful for diagnostic PTSD research because it includes and reflects childhood mental health of many current troops from their pre-service days, allowing scientists to look for early portents of PTSD development.

The signs of mental health deterioration have been red flag for a few years now.

The number of soldier suicides (129) reported in the first seven months of 2009 by The New York Times was higher than the number of active troops killed during combat in that time.

Please read the entire article here

Beyshee Velez admits guilt in slaying of Lucas Trent Vinson

Schofield soldier admits guilt in slaying of contractor in Iraq

The veteran and medic, who also assaulted three other workers, will serve a 26-year term

Garciapagan said Velez started acting strangely several days before the shooting, thinking there were wanted posters with his face and name around the base.

by William Cole at the Star Advertiser

A Schofield Barracks soldier pleaded guilty this week in military court to murdering a civilian contractor in Iraq and was sentenced to 26 years in prison, officials said yesterday.

Spc. Beyshee O. Velez, 32, a medic and three-time Iraq war veteran, was days away from leaving the country when he shot contractor Lucas “Trent” Vinson on Sept. 13, 2009, at Contingency Operating Base Speicher in northern Iraq.

Vinson, 27, worked for the Houston-based company KBR at COB Speicher with his father, Myron “Bugsy” Vinson, and an uncle. KBR provided troops with services such as housing, meals, mail delivery and laundry.

As part of a plea deal, Velez, of Cleveland, was found guilty of the murder of Vinson “by recklessly pointing his loaded M-4 carbine at Mr. Vinson, who died when the weapon discharged,” the 25th Infantry Division said.

The agreement required a sentence not in excess of 28 years in prison, officials said.

Velez, who was with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, also was found guilty of assaulting three other contractors by pointing a loaded weapon at them, and of fleeing apprehension by authorities, the Army said.

Officials said the shooting occurred in a sport utility vehicle on base. Witnesses at a previous hearing testified that Velez then forced a driver out of a 15-passenger van that belonged to KBR and drove erratically at high speed around the sprawling base before getting stuck in a ditch.

The presiding military judge, Lt. Col. Kwasi L. Hawks, also sentenced Velez to a reduction to the lowest enlisted grade, total forfeitures of pay and a dishonorable discharge, the Army said in a news release.

The Army said Velez is confined at the Naval Brig at Ford Island but will be turned over to the Army Corrections Command. A trial was held Tuesday and Wednesday at Wheeler Army Airfield, with sentencing Wednesday, the Army said.

Velez’s civilian attorney, Philip D. Cave, said in February 2010 that an Army mental fitness board found the soldier likely experienced a “short psychotic episode.”

However, an Army mental health board found Velez fit to stand trial, officials previously said.

The shooting occurred at about 8:30 a.m., and a standoff with Velez lasted until about 8 p.m. as he blared the radio, chain-smoked cigarettes and put his M-4 rifle to his head in the van, witnesses and Army officials said.

Col. Thomas Wheatley, a chaplain who was at the scene, had said his gut feeling was that Velez was going to kill himself.

“He said, ‘I’m a medic, I know how to do it,'” Wheatley had testified.

A friend of Velez, Spc. Leo­nel Gar­cia­pa­gan, talked to Velez and was finally able to remove the soldier’s rifle. Gar­cia­pa­gan testified in February that Velez was confused and was not aware of the shooting.

“He wasn’t aware of nothing,” Gar­cia­pa­gan said. “When he talked to me, I figured out his mind wasn’t right.”

Garciapagan said Velez started acting strangely several days before the shooting, thinking there were wanted posters with his face and name around the base.

Caring for a Loved One with Chronic Pain: The Four Caregiver Cornerstones

by Lee Woodruff at Huffington Post

I’ve written before about the importance of caregivers — the unsung heroes in our midst. No one asks to become a caregiver. When you’re thrust into that role unexpectedly, it can be truly devastating, particularly when your loved one is experiencing chronic pain, a condition that affects a whopping 53 million Americans.

In 2006, my husband, Bob, was injured by an improvised explosive device while on assignment in Iraq. After he awoke from a five-week-long coma — also known as the longest five weeks of my life — he was in a tremendous amount of pain. His doctors in Baghdad had saved his life by removing 16 centimeters of his skull, so most of us can’t even imagine how that must have felt. Doctors implanted a skull liner after four months, but during that time, Bob was in extreme pain. Even sneezing hurt him immensely. I can tell you from personal experience, there is nothing worse than seeing a loved one in pain.

During this same time, I was trying accept my new reality — balancing my already busy life as a mother to four children (from twin five-year-olds to teenagers) with the new role of caregiver.

I remember when the magnitude of this responsibility hit me. After Bob was injured, he was flown from Iraq to Germany and then to Maryland, where he was being treated at the Bethesda Naval Hospital. A doctor there handed me a consent form for all of the various treatments Bob was about to undergo, and the form included a laundry list of the possible complications, including death. Wow, I thought to myself. This didn’t cross my mind when I was taking my marriage vows so many years ago — I’m completely and utterly responsible for this man’s life.

The enormity of that responsibility can weigh on you, and I didn’t have the knowledge I needed to help care for Bob; I had to find the information I needed without a guide. That’s why I am such a big believer in Caregiver Cornerstones, an educational program created by the National Family Caregivers Association and Purdue Pharma. Caregiver Cornerstones provides information and resources for individuals caring for a loved one in pain. I truly believe that if I had a resource like this during Bob’s recovery, it would have made a big difference. I’m happy to have the chance to help spread the word about this important initiative.

The four Caregiver Cornerstones are:

1. Learning about pain management

Take an active role in helping to manage your loved one’s pain. I know that in my case, I learned as much as I could about traumatic brain injury so that I could make educated decisions about Bob’s care. If you know as much information as possible about your loved one’s condition, pain management and treatment options, you may feel more useful and worry less.

2. Caring for a person with pain

This includes making sure that your loved one receives proper pain assessment and ensuring your loved one is following the treatment plan laid out in conjunction with a health care provider.

3. Caring for yourself

I know all too well that being a family caregiver can be a demanding job. Some days, you may feel like you can do anything, and others, you may not be sure how you’ll get through the day. To be an effective caregiver for someone else, you must first take care of yourself. Make sure to get enough rest, eat right, and exercise. I know that for me, I cut out coffee, soda, and alcohol to help myself feel better, and tried to do even one little thing for myself each day. It’s also critical to allow others to provide a support system, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

4. Advocating for all people in pain

For me, advocating has meant establishing The Bob Woodruff Foundation (www.remind.org) and talking widely about caregiving for a loved one in chronic pain. For you, advocating may mean contacting your elected officials to lobby for federal funds. The Caregiver Cornerstones program offers guidance on raising awareness about the importance of access to appropriate and effective pain care.

Please visit the Caregiver Corner section at PartnersAgainstPain.com where you can download a helpful brochure and learn more.

If you are a caring for a loved one living with chronic pain, it’s important to know that there is hope and there are resources available — you are not alone. Remember to educate yourself about your loved one’s condition, draw strength from family and friends, and take the time to care for yourself.

Please see the original here

Memorial Service For Contractor Timothy Bell Missing In Iraq

The family of a contractor missing in Iraq for seven years is holding a memorial service even though they’re not completely convinced he’s dead.

MOBILE, Alabama – The family of a contractor missing in Iraq for seven years is holding a memorial service even though they’re not completely convinced he’s dead.

Timothy Bell’s sisters spent Thursday morning putting the finishing touches on the service, which is scheduled for Saturday, the seven year anniversary of his disappearance.

Bell was one of 17 Americans wounded or captured when their convoy was ambushed two weeks before he was scheduled to return home. Nine Americans were killed in the attack, and last year the Department of Defense declared Bell dead too.

Bell’s family still has questions. “I’m not convinced by a piece of paper,” said Felicia Carter, Bell’s sister. “Yes, we will have a service. We will celebrate his life, and we will still leave here with a void of not knowing 100% what happened to Tim,” Carter said.

The memorial service is scheduled for 10am on Saturday, April 9 at Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church on Sengstak Street in Mobile.

Bell’s family has invited the public to attend the service  Here for details

Iraq Convoy was sent out despite Threat

KBR claims Iraqi law should apply in suit over Ryan Maseth’s death

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review

U.S. soldiers living on military bases in Iraq had no expectation that they were protected by Pennsylvania law instead of Iraqi law, a lawyer for a Houston-based defense contractor argued today in Pittsburgh federal court.

KBR Inc. wants U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer to use Iraqi law in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, of Shaler against the company. Maseth was electrocuted Jan. 2, 2008, while showering at a military base in Baghdad.

Cheryl Harris and Douglas Maseth claim shoddy electrical work by the contractor caused their son’s death. KBR has denied responsibility and argues that Iraq has more interest in having its law applied to this case than Texas, Pennsylvania or Tennessee.

Harris said after today’s hearing that KBR’s arguments just feed the frustration she feels from having the case stuck in pretrial maneuvers for the past three years. Members of the military deserve to have U.S. standards applied to the bases they serve on, she said.

“It’s quite sad that KBR would think otherwise,” Harris said. “That they would be paid billions of dollars and not be expected to protect U.S. soldiers.”  Please read the entire story here

Private Security Contractor Adam Carney’s family must repatriate his body???

Update  April 5, 2011  6pm

Family Still Waits to bury son died in Afghanistan

Two weeks after he died of a massive heart attack, former Atlanta police officer Adam Carney’s body is expected to be returned home from Afghanistan, where he was helping train that country’s nascent police force.

But his parents haven’t planned his funeral yet, saying Adam Carney’s employer, DynCorp International, has provided them with “non-answers” and conflicting information about when they could claim the 34-year-old Navy veteran’s remains.

“No mother wants to bury their son,” Wanda Carney told the AJC on Tuesday. “This has just been more torture. No one should have to go through this.”

The Carneys, who flew in from Ohio soon after learning of their son’s death on March 28, say they were informed Tuesday morning that he would be transported to Dover Air Force Base, where an autopsy will be performed. They hope to have the father of two back in Atlanta by the weekend.

“We couldn’t understand what took so long,” said Adam’s father, Michael Carney. “They kept saying, ‘We don’t know.’ Well, why don’t you know?”

A DynCorp spokeswoman said she understands the Carneys’ frustration but adds the delays were out of the company’s control.

Just when you think you couldn’t be more disgusted than you already are….

Join law enforcement officers for fundraiser in honor of Adam Carney

DECATUR, Ga. – Former military officer and retired APD officer, Adam Carney died of an apparent heart attack in Afghanistan on Monday night. Carney worked overseas as a civilian contractor. The family must pay to have his body flown back to the United States and buried.

The family and Humble Heroes-Police Memorial are hosting a fundraiser on Tuesday, March 29 from 4:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. at Avellino’s Pizza at 902 W. College Avenue in Decatur.  Avellino’s will, also, be donating a percentage of proceeds to the Law Enforcement Memorial Ride or the Unity Tour.

Carney’s brother, Josh, currently works as an APD officer and patrols the Zone 6 area. He is survived by a three year old and five year old.

At Least Eighty Contractors Dead in First Quarter of 2011

First Quarter 2011 Contractor Casualties numbers are taken from the DoL’s Defense Base Act Case Summary

so only reflect the numbers of Casualties legally reported to the Department of Labor.

These numbers reflect Defense Base Act Claims from around the world and claimants of all nations, employers, and carriers.

Contractor Deaths claimed from December 31 st  through  March 31st 2011             80

Contractor Injuries Out of Work longer than 4 days                                                 1032

We’ll update this report after we’ve had time to analyze it

Second Quarter Death and Injury Numbers here

UN Workers Killed, Beheaded, in Bloody Attack on Compound in Mazar-I-Sharif

Local police were caught “by surprise” and failed to stop the crowd, while the UN’s own guards were helpless because they had orders not to fire at civilians, de Mistura said Saturday, according to a transcript of his remarks published on the United Nations’ web site.”

Three international staff and four international security guards were killed when a demonstration against a recent burning of the Koran in the United States turned violent and hundreds of people over-ran the UN centre.

The family members of the international staff have been notified by the UN. UNAMA is now in a position to release their names: Joakim Dungel, a human rights officer, from Sweden, Lt Col Siri Skare, from Norway, was a military liaison officer with the mission and Filaret Motco, from Romania, was a political officer.

UN Pledges to continue work in Afghanistan

CNA and AIG failure to provide medical despite ALJ/DoL orders

Reckless endangerment of lives by CNA and AIG refusing to provide court ordered necessary medical and psychological care.

Contact us if you fall into this category dbacasualty@yahoo.com for an upcoming news story