The U.S. embassy in Afghanistan has banned alcohol at a camp that
houses security guards who are under investigation for alleged lewd
behavior and other inappropriate acts, including abusive treatment of
locally-hired Afghans.
The embassy in Kabul released a
statement Thursday saying "alcohol has been prohibited at Camp
Sullivan," the offsite living quarters for guards hired by the
ArmorGroup, a U.S. private contractor.
Earlier this week, an
independent U.S. government oversight group said it had seen e-mails,
photos and videos that portray scenes in which ArmorGroup North America
superiors were urinating on people and engaging in nude partying. Those who declined to participate were said to be ridiculed, demoted or
even fired.
AmorGroup North America employs about 450 guards - mostly Nepalese Ghurkas to provide security at the embassy.
The
non-partisan Project on Government Oversight said in a letter to
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the actions of the security
company employees were serious contractual violations that jeopardized
the safety of embassy staff.
State Department spokesman Ian
Kelly told reporters Wednesday that the embassy in Kabul has been
well-protected under ArmorGroup North America. However, he said, the
department expects prompt action regarding the allegations, which could
lead to terminating the defense contractor's $189 million contract.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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