The New Arab. Date of publication: 4 May, Females brought in from other countries in Baghdad that came from other countries," Kristie King, an internal investigator who was fired by Sallyport, said. More than documents obtained by AP as well as interviews with more than a half-dozen former or current Sallyport employees revealed numerous violations at the base, home to F fighter jets taking part in the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group.
The contractors were reportedly customers of a Baghdad prostitution ring, hiring four Ethiopian women, who had worked as prostitutes, on the base as housekeepers while they still sent money back their pimp in the capital.
Staff on the base, where alcohol was prohibited, reportedly routinely flew in smuggled alcohol in such high volumes that a plane once almost crashed on the tarmac under the weight. Flight line workers, who directed aeroplanes on the runways and handled cargo, showed up drunk for work and in one instance passed around a bowlful of jelly babies soaked in vodka.
It was a disaster and it was covered up. That is absolutely covered up," Cole said. The investigators said that Sallyport advised them to keep two sets of books about potential crimes and contract violations: "One for the government to see and one for the government not to see".
Sallyport has denied the accusations, saying that it has followed all contracting rules at the base. The US military has requested that around fresh troops be deployed to Iraq ahead of the long-awaited offensive to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group. In-depth: Forces from up to 16 countries are present on the ground in Iraq, according to a new survey by The New Arab. Some are engaged in counter-insurgency operations.
