Afghan bases face security breach from smuggled workers

By Sara Carter at the Washington Examiner

Foreign workers without proper clearances or identification are being smuggled onto U.S. and NATO bases in Afghanistan, revealing a breach in security that presents a serious threat to troops and civilian employees, according to documents and interviews with U.S. officials reveal.

International Security Assistance Force police documents obtained by The Washington Examiner charged employees for two contracting companies, Stallion Construction and Engineering and DynCorp International with skirting security procedures at Kandahar Airfield, and escorting undocumented foreign laborers onto the base without appropriate clearances or jobs.

Lured by recruiters in their home countries with promises of decent jobs, foreign workers from the Philippines flew on commercial flights into Kandahar Airfield where they were met by unscrupulous subcontractors who helped them bypass security measures to enter the base, according to the documents.

“This report is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg,” said a U.S. official in Afghanistan with direct knowledge of the violations. “The military police report is only one example of what has been going on for some time at the major bases across the country. This is a serious security issue and human rights issue as well.”

Please read the entire story here