US Private Contractor Inez Baker killed in attack in Kapisa province

51-year-old Inez 'Renee' Baker was killed on Friday 8th March 2013 during an attack at Forward Operating Base Tagab, in Kapisa province. The attack happened early afternoon when three men, dressed as Afghan soldiers, drove a vehicle into the gate of the base, before opening fire and killing Ms. Baker.

Two Afghan soldiers also died and four coalition soldiers were injured in the attack. The three attackers were also killed.

Ms. Baker had served in the US Army for 26 years. She retired last year and began working as a private contractor.

More information to follow.

US Police Mentor Joseph Griffin killed in Kabul shooting

49-year-old Joseph Griffin, from Mansfield, Georgia, was shot and killed in Kabul on 24th December 2012.

His killer was a policewoman identified only as Sergeant Nargas, an Iranian who went to Afghanistan 10 years ago with her husband and obtained a fake ID through him, according to a report in The Guardian.

Mr Griffin was employed by US-based DynCorp International and was in the country supporting the Afghan Ministry of Interior and Afghan National Police Development Program (AMDP).

Nargas walked into a heavily-guarded compound in the heart of Kabul, confronted Griffin and shot him with a pistol. Investigators are still unclear on a motive for the attack.

Afghan government spokesman, Sediq Sediqi, told a news conference that Nargas, in her early 30s and a mother of four, was born in Tehran and moved to Afghanistan 10 years ago after marrying an Afghan national. She joined the Afghan police five years ago and had a clean record within the force.

He went on to say that "her mental condition is not good," and described her as "unstable." He also told press that she had recently attended a training course in Egypt and had been assessed as "not being normal," in a reference to her mental state.

A statement on the DynCorp International website stated that Mr Griffin had worked in support of several of the company's global training and mentoring programs since November 2000 and that he deployed to Afghanistan in July 2011. The statement also says about Mr Griffin that he was "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.

British woman, Jeni Ayris, among victims of Kabul suicide bombing

British woman Jeni Ayris, from Edinburgh, was one of twelve aviation workers killed in Kabul on Tuesday 18th September 2012 when a female insurgent rammed a car laden with explosives into their minibus as they drove to Kabul airport.

Ms Ayris, who was born in South Africa but held British nationality, had been working in Afghanistan for just over a year as a customer relations manager for aviation firm Air Charter Solutions/BalmOral, organising private flights for charities and NGOs into and out of the country.

Eight South African colleagues of Ms Ayris also died in the attack.

Read the full story at the Daily Mail

Eight South Africans killed in Kabul suicide bombing named

Eight South African aviation workers in Kabul were killed on Tuesday 18th September 2012 when a female insurgent rammed a car laden with explosives into their minibus as they drove to Kabul airport.

They were working in Afghanistan for aviation firm Air Charter Solutions/BalmOral, organising private flights for charities and NGOs into and out of the country.

Their names have been released by the South African Department of International Relations and Co-operation.

"The Department has consulted with the families of the deceased and hereby releases their names with permission from their families," said spokesman Nelson Kgwete in a statement on Wednesday.

The victims were:

Christian Johannes Justus Pretorius, 30, from Pretoria, Gauteng

Fraser Angus Carey, 31, from Johannesburg, Gauteng

Brandon Quinn Booth, 47, from Balgowan, KwaZulu-Natal

Johan Abraham van Huyssteen, 31, from Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape

Johan Frederick Bouchaud, 30, from Johannesburg, Gauteng

Johannes Judenis Humphries, 65, from Centurion, Gauteng

Steven Leong, 31, from Johannesburg, Gauteng

Jenny Margaret Ayris, 46, from Scotland in the United Kingdom

Former US Sheriff's Deputy Jim St. Pierre dies in Afghanistan

51-year-old former US Sheriff’s Deputy Jim St. Pierre died on Saturday 24th March 2012 from a heart attack in Afghanistan.

He had been in the country on a contract with American K-9 Detection Services serving at Camp Leatherneck. He joined the company in 2010 as a Patrol Narcotics Detection Dog Handler with K9 Jowi. 

The company said that he and Jowi had found drugs on numerous occasions during their two years in the country.

Turkish Helicopter crash near Kabul kills all on board

A helicopter of the Turkish military has crashed into houses on the outskirts of Kabul, killing all on board, according to Afghan police.

Turkey's foreign ministry confirmed the crash but declined to give further details. "We confirm that a Turkish helicopter crashed in Kabul according to initial findings," a ministry diplomat said. The official did not release any information on the death toll or the cause of the crash.

Afghan authorities were trying to determine the nationalities of the people who were on the helicopter when it crashed, Kabul criminal investigation department head Mohammad Zahir told news reporters.

Rescue workers were searching through the wreckage, in the Bagrami district of Kabul province, to determine whether there were any more casualties.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that twelve military personnel were killed.

US Contractor James Scott Ozier killed in helicopter crash

30-year-old US Contractor James Scott Ozier was one of three aircrew members killed on 16th January 2012 in a helicopter crash in Helmand province. Mr. Ozier was employed by AAR Airlift, a US company contracted to work in Afghanistan for the US Department of Defense.

Mr. Ozier, a graduate of Northport High School in Northport, Alabama, was a helicopter mechanic with the company.

He leaves behind his wife Lauren, parents Charles and Sandy, two brothers Allen and Eric, sister Martha Ann and many other relatives and friends.

US Contractor Todd Walker killed in helicopter crash

48-year-old US Contractor Todd Walker was one of three aircrew members killed on 16th January 2012 in a helicopter crash in Helmand province. Mr. Walker was employed by AAR Airlift, a US company contracted to work in Afghanistan for the US Department of Defense. He had flown helicopters for 27 years all across the world.

His parents talked about their son to local news. "He loved the Lord and that was first in his life. After that, his wife and his three kids. He adored his family," his mother Jan said. "He lived on the edge. That's what I always tell everybody. He lived on the edge all his life."

His father Darrell said "He liked people. He liked to travel. He wasn't afraid to do anything."

Todd Walker leaves behind a loving wife, three kids, a sister, and his parents.

US Contractor Michael Clawson killed in helicopter crash

51-year-old US Contractor Michael Clawson was one of three aircrew members killed on 16th January 2012 in a helicopter crash in Helmand province.

Mr. Clawson was employed by AAR Airlift, a US company contracted to work in Afghanistan for the US Department of Defense.

According to a local news report, Mr Clawson leaves behind his wife and five children.

More information to follow.

Three US Contractors Killed in Helicopter Crash

Three American private contractors working for the US Department of Defense were killed when their helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan on Monday 16th January 2011, their company said.

The contractors' company, AAR Airlift, said that there were no other passengers on the helicopter and that the cause of the crash was not yet known. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the crash, but Marjan Haqmal, the chief of police of the Nad Ali district of Helmand Province, where the crash took place, said the helicopter had technical problems.

The aircrew have been named as James Scott Ozier, Michael Clawson and Todd Walker.

US Private Contractor Jarod Cravens

32-year-old American citizen Jarod Keith Cravens, from Texas, was killed in Kabul on 29th October 2011 when a suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into a NATO armored bus which he was travelling in.

His wife Stephanie told news reporters that her husband had served eight years in the Marine Corps but returned to work as a contractor in Afghanistan. The couple have a 12-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter.

Mr. Cravens had been home in Texas on leave a few weeks ago before returning to the war zone.

US Private Contractor Matthew Lemmon

45-year-old American citizen Matthew Lemmon, from Memphis, was killed in Kabul on 29th October 2011 when a suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into a NATO armored bus which Mr. Lemmon was travelling in.

Matthew Lemmon, a heating and air-conditioning engineer, had taken the job in Afghanistan as a way to increase earnings and help his family. He had taken a three-week break from the job in early October and returned to Afghanistan on 24th October.

He leaves his wife Kim, their two children, Zachary (15) and Lily (3) and other relatives and friends.

Two British contractors killed in Kabul suicide bombing

Two British electrical engineers were among those killed on 29th October 2011 in Kabul when a suicide car bomber rammed the armored bus they were travelling in.

The men, aged 34 and 52, were locally named as David Quinn and Stephen Brown. They were working for Texas-based Fluor Corporation which holds various NATO engineering and construction contracts.

US civilian engineer James Coker

US engineer James W. "Will" Coker was murdered in eastern Kabul after he went missing last week. Some news sources suggest he was kidnapped. His body was found on Monday 5th September.

An Afghan military official told CBS News that the body had been beheaded. However, a Western official in Kabul told the press that Mr. Coker had been strangled. His body was discovered in a cave in hills near the outskirts of Kabul.

Mr. Coker was working in Afghanistan as a construction contractor for the US Army Corps of Engineers. His family, in Charleston, South Carolina, were notified by military officers of his death on Monday.

Retired US State Trooper Paul Protzenko

Retired US Trooper First Class Paul Protzenko died in Afghanistan 9th July 2011 while working for a private contracting firm training Afghan police.

The 47-year-old former Connecticut State Trooper retired in 2009 after 20 years service working for the state police. Prior to that, he had served in the US Army.

At the time of the incident, in Panjshir province, Mr. Protzenko was in a vehicle with US Army Sergeant 1st Class Terryl L. Pasker. An Afghan security officer stopped their vehicle and opened fire. Both men died at the scene. A US soldier in another vehicle shot and killed the Afghan guard.

Former U.S Police Sergeant Brett Benton killed by IED

Kentucky police officer, Sergeant Brett Benton, was killed in Afghanistan on Saturday 4th June 2011.

Sgt. Benton resigned from his police job in May and went to Afghanistan as a private contractor teaching police tactics to Afghan National Police recruits.

Sgt. Benton was killed from the blast of a roadside bomb. He had been in Afghanistan only a few weeks.

His longtime friend, Toby Coyle, told local news: "After high school he went to the National Guard, and then while he was still in the Guard he worked at the state police post in Richmond as a dispatcher," Coyle said, "and then he worked for the Nicholasville Police Department, and then he went on to the Kenton County Police Department, where he left there as a sergeant."