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Afghanistan: Bomb kills 15, including 6 Americans, 2 soldiers & 4 working for DynCorp
Four Killed in Attack in Kabul, Afghanistan
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (May 16, 2013) – Four DynCorp International personnel working on the Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan (CSTC-A) program were tragically killed by an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan earlier today. Three others were injured but have been treated and released. The company extends its deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives. Out of respect for their privacy, we will not be providing further information at this time.
Under the CSTC-A contract the company provides mentors and trainers to support the development of the Afghanistan Ministry of Defense. DI provides mentoring, training, subject matter expertise, and program support to CSTC-A staff and the Afghanistan Ministry of Defense. The program supports development of organizational capacity to assist the Afghanistan MOD and Afghan National Army forces in assuming full responsibility for their own security needs.~ Press Release, DynCorp website
- Michael Robert Bradford – Michael Bradford served five years in the Army and achieved the rank of sergeant before leaving in 2011. He graduated from Highlands High School in 2005 and briefly attended Northern Kentucky University before enlisting in the Army.
- Sgt. Eugene M Aguon, 23, of Mangilao, Guam
- Spc. Dwayne W. Flores, 22, of Sinajana, Guam
May 16, 2013 – (Associated Press) – KABUL, Afghanistan – A suicide car bombing tore through a U.S. convoy in Kabul on Thursday, killing at least 15 people including six Americans in a blast so powerful it rattled the other side of the Afghan capital. U.S. soldiers rushed to help, some wearing only T-shirts or shorts under their body armor.
A Muslim militant group claimed responsibility for the morning rush hour attack, saying it was carried out by a new suicide unit formed in response to reports that the U.S. plans to keep bases and troops in Afghanistan even after the 2014 deadline for the end of the foreign combat mission.
The group, Hizb-e-Islami, said its fighters had stalked the Americans for a week to learn their routine before striking — a claim which raises questions about U.S. security procedures.
Two children were among nine Afghan civilians killed in the attack.
“I can’t find my children. They’re gone. They’re gone,” their father screamed before collapsing to the ground as neighbors swarmed around to comfort him.
Two American soldiers were killed, as were four American civilian contractors with DynCorp International. DynCorp, a U.S. defense contractor based in Falls Church, Va., said its employees were working with U.S. forces training the Afghan military when the blast occurred. Read the remainder of this entry »
Georgia man identified as victim of suspected Afghan insider attack
DynCorp International Police Mentor Killed in Afghanistan
FALLS CHURCH, Va. – December 24, 2012 – Joseph Griffin, 49, of Mansfield, Ga., was tragically killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, on December 24, 2012, while supporting the Afghan Ministry of Interior and Afghan National Police Development Program (AMDP). Mr. Griffin worked in support of several of the company’s global training and mentoring programs since November 2000; he began his most recent assignment in July 2011. A veteran of the U.S. military who served in various U.S.-based law enforcement positions over the years, Mr. Griffin was an experienced professional who will be missed by his colleagues.
“Joe spent his career helping people all over the world, most recently working to help the Afghan people secure a better future,” said Steve Gaffney, chairman and CEO of DynCorp International. “The loss of any team member is tragic but to have this happen over the holidays makes it seem all the more unfair. Our thoughts and prayers are with Joe’s family, loved ones and colleagues during this difficult time.”
Under the AMDP contract with the U.S. Army, DI assists the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan/Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (NTM-A/CSTC-A) by providing training and mentoring services for the Afghanistan Ministry of Interior and Afghan National Police. ~ Press Release, DynCorp International
Former DynCorp employee, James Markwith gets 20 years for child porn conviction
Contractor Who was Stationed in Afghanistan is Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Sending Images of Child Pornography to a Fort Worth Resident
(FBI) – FORT WORTH, TX – Decemmber 21, 2012 – A New Hampshire man stationed in Afghanistan who sent child pornography to a Fort Worth, Texas, resident, whom he met while he attended DynCorp International job training in Fort Worth, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John McBryde to 240 months in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. James M. Markwith, 31, pleaded guilty in September 2012 to an indictment charging one count of transporting and distributing a visual depiction of a minor for importation into the U.S. Markwith has been in federal custody since his arrest in June 2012 in the District of New Hampshire on a related charge filed in the Northern District of Texas.
Inspectors Slam Army, Contractor for Shoddy Afghan Base
DynCorp was paid $73 million for base plagued with issues, contractor says problems started after it completed work
Paul D. Shinkman – (US News) – December 13, 2012 – The government office tasked with monitoring U.S. efforts to rebuild Afghanistan claims the U.S. Army lost tens of millions of dollars supposed to be used to re-construct an Afghan Army base that remains in disrepair.
The Office of the Special Inspector for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has opened an investigation into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its $73 million contract with DynCorp International to build an Afghan National Army base at Camp Pamir in the northern Kunduz Province.
DynCorp was paid in full and released from the contract, SIGAR says, though the base is plagued with structural failures and a crumbling foundation. This investigation stems from an October report outlining the issues.
McCaskill, Collins Demand Answers on $70 Million Settlement with Contractor DynCorp
Severe soil settling has caused this guardhouse to lean and its surrounding walls to crack. SIGAR has recently identified significant soil stability issues at the construction site of the Kunduz ANA garrison. (SIGAR photo)
Senators see ‘harm to taxpayers’ in government’s decision to pay contractor for inadequate and incomplete work on construction contracts in Afghanistan
(Office of Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) – WASHINGTON – November 20, 2012 -In a bipartisan effort to protect taxpayer dollars, U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) today sought answers from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) concerning its decision to approve a $70.8 million dollar settlement with the contractor DynCorp International for faulty construction of an Afghan Army garrison. According to a report by the Special IG for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) that questioned the settlement, some of the structures built by the contractor had completely “failed” and were either “unsafe, uninhabitable, or unusable.”
In a letter to Lieutenant General Thomas Bostick, Commanding General and Chief of Engineers for the Army Corps, McCaskill and Collins address multiple reports of waste and mismanagement associated with the contract, asking General Bostick to provide them with information that would justify the $70.8 million settlement.
“It looks like we paid $70 million for a contract that delivered next to nothing-any reasonable person is going to ask why,” said McCaskill, who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight. “Every taxpayer dollar spent in Afghanistan is a dollar that wasn’t spent to build a school or repair a road right here at home, and I think it’s critical that we really scrutinize what we’re getting for the money we’re spending on projects halfway around the world.”
“Many questions are raised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decision to let Dyncorp off the hook for poor performance in a settlement agreement made in connection with contracts to construct a garrison for the Afghan National Army,” said Collins, the ranking Republican on the Senate Homeland Security Committee. “The Corps of Engineers has been unable to provide a justification, despite repeated requests from Congress and the Special IG for Afghanistan Reconstruction. The IG audit on the construction of this garrison documented a number of failures. Such failures undermine our national security objective in Afghanistan to train and support the Afghan National Army. This settlement agreement appears to be yet another inexcusable failure of oversight that undermines the overall mission in Afghanistan and wastes taxpayer dollars.”