Feral Jundi

Friday, July 30, 2010

Afghanistan: DynCorp Contractors Attacked By Crowd After Fatal Auto Accident

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 11:00 PM

   If anyone has any information on this one, I am all ears. It sounds like to me that they were unfortunately in a part of town that is not too friendly towards contractors or foreigners.  Or worse yet, the crowd was fed by some instigators who took it upon themselves to twist the story around and try to create a riot.

   All I know is that some Afghanis are dead from a horrible crash, and some DynCorp contractors are wounded because of a hostile crowd. If they were attacked by the crowd, then they showed some serious discipline to ‘not’ fire their weapons in self defense. I mean this could have ended up like another Blackwater Bridge scenario, the way it sounds. Who knows, and as more information comes out, I will make the edit. –Matt

Edit: July 31, 2010 – A big thanks to Ashley Burke from DynCorp, who sent me this update and statement from the company. The thing I keep looking at here, is how quickly the crowd formed and attacked this crew. There must have been instigators in the crowd.  And it sounds like the Afghans who pulled out in front of the DynCorp convoy are at fault here. But yet the crowd could care less. Here is the statement:

I saw your recent posting and wanted to make sure you had the full DI statement on this incident.

On July 30, 2010, DynCorp International (DI) personnel were involved in a car accident in Kabul when an Afghan vehicle unexpectedly pulled in front of them on a road to the airport. Several Afghan civilians were killed in the tragic accident.

When the DI personnel exited their vehicle to assess the situation and assist, a crowd quickly formed, the DI team was attacked, and their vehicle was set on fire. A second DI team arrived on the scene to assist, that DI team was also attacked by the crowd, and their vehicle was set on fire.  Local police arrived quickly. DI personnel took no action against the crowd and did not fire any shots, deferring to the local police who took action to disperse the crowd and remove the DI team to safety.

Any accident involving a loss of life is tragic. Our condolences go out to the families of those who were killed or injured in the accident. An investigation into the accident is underway and, until that investigation is complete, it would be inappropriate to comment further.

The employees involved in the accident are working under a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

From Ashley Burke

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Fatal Crash Stokes Afghan-U.S. Tension in Kabul

July 30, 2010

Auto Accident Involving American Contractors Leaves 4 Locals Dead; Mob Hurls Stones, Sets Fire to Vehicles

A fatal traffic accident involving private U.S. security contractors sparked an angry demonstration in Kabul Friday, with enraged Afghans hurling stones, setting fire to two vehicles and shouting “death to America” before police fired guns into the air to disperse the crowd.

Four Afghans were killed in the accident on the main airport road, according to Kabul’s criminal investigations chief, Abdul Ghaafar Sayedzada.

U.S. embassy spokesperson Caitlin Hayden confirmed to CBS News that the SUV involved was carrying four contractors from DynCorp, a private security firm affiliated with the embassy. Afghan police officials said the Americans were traveling in a two-vehicle convoy.

There were conflicting accounts of the accident and its aftermath. Local witnesses told CBS News that the Americans were driving the wrong way down the road, though DynCorp said that version of events was “not correct.”

Witnesses also said only three locals were killed in the crash, with the fourth dying after the U.S. contractors opened fire into the crowd.

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Industry Talk: FBO Solicitations– PSC Services For COB Blackhawk, FOB Tarin Kowt, FOB Hadrian, And ANCOP HQ, Afghanistan

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:09 AM

     All of these just popped up the last couple of days and I wanted to get this out there.  Just reading through all of them, they all repeat the same things.  The contracting mechanism will be that concept I loathe called LPTA or Lowest Priced Technically Acceptable. Or what I call the ‘lowest bidder’.  So lowest bidder security is what is acceptable for the protection of our most cherished assets in this war–our soldiers and civilians serving there?

     What really kills me though is that the only ones that can bid are those companies who are registered with the Afghanistan Minister of Interior.  So anyone not on the list is out.

     I certainly hope for the sake of those who will be living at these COBs and FOBs, that when your lowest bidder PSC’s show up to provide protection, that you are able to sleep comfortably at nights. I have no idea if they will be putting these folks up on the walls, or just posting them at interior facilities. Nor do I have an idea of who they will use as security contractors, but you can guess that they will be ‘bottom of the barrel’ forces. And of course it will be pissed off expats running the whole thing and having to manage that mess.

     Either way, the US military has no one else to blame but themselves for using such a god awful contracting tool.  LPTA might be good for trash disposal or pest control, but it is a terrible idea when it comes to protecting peoples lives in war zones. You get what you pay for.

     To put it another way, I would not use LPTA for picking a doctor to save my mother’s life, nor would I advocate using LPTA for protection services in a war zone.  Pfffft. –Matt

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PRIVATE SECURITY CONTRACTOR (PSC) SERVICES @ COB BLACKHAWK, AFGHANISTAN

W91B4L-10-R-0230

COB BLACKHAWK, AFGHANISTAN KANDAHAR PROVINCE,

09355 AF

Department of the Army

Joint Contracting Command, Iraq/Afgahnistan

KANDAHAR RCC

COMBINE

07/25/10

*****

PRIVATE SECURITY CONTRACTOR (PSC) SERVICES AT FOB TARIN KOWT, AFGHANISTAN

W91B4L-10-T-0058

FOB TARIN KOWT AFGHANISTAN FOB TARIN KOWT, 1

09355 AF

Department of the Army

Joint Contracting Command, Iraq/Afgahnistan

KANDAHAR RCC

COMBINE

07/26/10

*****

PRIVATE SECURITY CONTRACTOR (PSC) SERVICES AT FOB HADRIAN, AFGHANISTAN

W91B4L-10-T-0059

FOB Hadrian, Afghanistan FOB Hadrian, 1

09355 AF

Department of the Army

Joint Contracting Command, Iraq/Afgahnistan

KANDAHAR RCC

COMBINE

07/27/10

*****

PRIVATE SECURITY CONTRACTOR (PSC) SERVICES AT ANCOP HQ, AFGHANISTAN

W91B4L-10-T-0077

ANCOC HQ Kandahar Kandahar, 1

09355 AF

Department of the Army

Joint Contracting Command, Iraq/Afgahnistan

KANDAHAR RCC

COMBINE

07/27/10

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Cool Stuff: Eagle Scout And Secretary Of Defense Gates Speaks At A Jamboree

Filed under: Cool Stuff,Leadership,Quotes — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:00 AM

     This is cool.  I remember going to AP Hill when I was a young Boy Scout for a Jamboree and it was quite the experience.  But we definitely did not have a guy like Secretary Gates speaking at our Jamboree.

    So with that said, here is the speech he gave at this year’s Jamboree. It is a fantastic speech and I agree with everything he said. All I have to say is that if you have boys in your family and you are looking for a way to prepare them for life and for being excellent citizens/leaders, I highly recommend the Scouting Program. –Matt

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Boy Scout Jamboree

As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates,

Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia,

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Good morning jamboree!  Do you all want to sit down?  Thank you Anthony, for that kind introduction.

It is an honor to be with you here today and to have the chance to share a few thoughts about scouting with you.  I know how much you enjoy sitting in the sun, so I won’t take too long.

First, as you know, at this moment, there are hundreds of thousands of men and women in our military all over the world – but especially in Iraq and Afghanistan – who are putting their lives on the line to defend you, your families and our freedom.  They have put their dreams aside to protect your dreams. Many of them are members of your families.  So, would every Scout who has a mom or a dad or a brother or a sister or an uncle or an aunt in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard please stand?  That’s what I figured.  Please tell your family member from me thank you for their sacrifice – and thank you and your families for supporting them.  You can sit down again.

As the introduction made clear, scouting has been a big part of my life and my family’s life.  Of course my family’s life – and our kid’s lives – have been a bit unusual, in no small part because I have had armed body guards for so much of my professional career.

(more…)

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Funny Stuff: Afghan-led Forces Captures Taliban Commander, Suspected Insurgents Dressed As Women

Filed under: Afghanistan,Funny Stuff — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 12:59 AM

    Dressed like women huh? I wonder if they were wearing Victoria Secret under those burqas? lol Man, you know what would be really funny is if the guys who captured them took some pictures and posted it on the internet for ‘everyone’ to laugh at! (just an idea for any ISAF folks that are reading this) –Matt

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Afghan-Led Force Captures Taliban Commander, Suspected Insurgents Dressed as WomenISAF Joint Command – Afghanistan2010-07-CA-195For Immediate Release

 KABUL, Afghanistan (July 27) – An Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban sub-commander and several additional suspected insurgents in Paktika province last night. The commander, who operates mainly in Mota Khan, conducts improvised explosive device (IED) attacks against coalition force convoys and facilitates explosives for his network.The security force surrounded the targeted compound east of Sharan and Afghan forces used a loudspeaker to call for all occupants to peacefully exit the buildings. Several men attempted to disguise themselves by dressing in female attire before exiting the compound; however they were immediately identified and detained for further questioning. The sub-commander and several suspected insurgents were detained.The assault force discovered automatic weapons, ammunition, magazines and a bayonet, along with IED material including 31 IED pressures switches and multiple pressure plates. A bag of Pakistani, Afghani and American cash was also found at the scene. No shots were fired and the women and children were protected throughout the search.”This is another successful blow to the Taliban operating in Paktika,” said Col. Rafael Torres, ISAF Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center director. “This commander posed a serious threat to Afghan civilians and Afghan and coalition forces in Mota Khan district. We are happy he is off the streets and now unable to harm the people of Paktika province.”

Story here.

Kidnap And Ransom: French Tourists May Be Billed If High-risk Trips Go Wrong

Filed under: Al Qaeda,France,Kidnap And Ransom — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:40 AM

     This is curious, and it also kind of ties in with my Ross Perot’s Rescue of EDS Employees In Iran post.  If you could afford it, would you pay for the services of the government to rescue a loved one, or would you seek out the services of private industry to rescue a loved one?  Because if countries like France put the cost of rescue on the individual that is taken hostage, then you would think it would be alright for that individual to choose either a private option that is cheaper or better than a state sponsored option for rescue.

     Now of course there is always the K and R industry and their approach to getting hostages released.  But for the impossible cases, where folks are political pawns or the hostage takers have no intention of negotiating, what do you do? Or how about cases where governments refuse to do a rescue because it is politically sensitive? There are lots of cases where the standard hostage negotiation tactic just does not work in the international realm, and sometimes the only chance of survival for that hostage, is rescue. One that could be potentially violent, or one that could be sneaky and non-violent.  Either way, what are the options other than letting those folks just die?

     A great example of this, is the execution of a French hostage recently by Al Qaeda.  What if the family and friends of this hostage wanted to contract the services of lets say Xe or some similar company for the rescue of their loved one? Or even contract the services of another country’s army for a rescue? All because they either did not want to pay France for a rescue operation, or they thought that Xe or another country would be a better option–both for price and for execution?  It is an interesting thought to ponder, and especially if France wants to go down this path of forcing it’s citizens to pay for rescues. –Matt

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French tourists may be billed if high-risk trips go wrong

Lizzy Davies

 5 July 2010

French tourists who run into trouble after taking unnecessary risks overseas could have to pay for their rescue and repatriation under legislation debated today by MPs in Paris.

The proposed law, put forward by a government tired of having to foot the bill, would enable the state to demand reimbursement for “all or part of the costs … of foreign rescue operations” if it deems that travellers had ventured knowingly and without “legitimate motive” into risky territory.

According to the foreign ministry, the bill is an attempt to encourage a “culture of responsibility” among French travellers at a time of frequent kidnappings, hijackings and civil instability across the world. The ministry hopes that the prospect of being saddled with paying costs such as emergency air fares home will make people think twice about venturing into territory classified as dangerous. There is no question of ransoms being included in the cost, unsurprisingly, as France insists it never pays them.

(more…)

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