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

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

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…In Iraq, workers say they are targets of Iran-allied attacks, and one employee was killed in a night-time drone attack in March…

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…Efforts to keep workers in Iraq are due to the company’s fears that the Iraqi government will end the contract, sources allege…

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 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…