Relatives allege American contractor on island of Diego Garcia failed to get proper medical help for 33-year-old Saddam Ali
A major US defence contractor has failed to repatriate the body of a migrant worker who died under unexplained circumstances on the British-owned island of Diego Garcia more than a month ago, the Observer has learned.
Saddam Ali died after a short illness on 18 October, on the secretive joint UK-US military base on the remote British overseas territory in the Indian Ocean. His family allege that KBR – Ali’s employer – failed to get the 33-year-old Indian sufficient medical assistance, keeping him on the base, which does not have a hospital-grade facility.
More than 1,000 migrant workers are contracted to work for KBR – a key Pentagon contractor that helped build Guantánamo Bay in Cuba – on the military base, which the UK has leased to the US since the 1960s.
Strategically located, the atoll of Diego Garcia is crucial for US interests, lying within range of east Africa, the Middle East and Asia. However, the treatment of migrant workers on its vast military base has become a source of increasing concern.
“It was KBR’s responsibility to evacuate Saddam for better treatment. They should have taken prompt action to evacuate him,” said Dr Junaidul Hasan, his cousin. “They are not providing any information about why they did not.”
Read full investigation here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/19/family-still-wait-for-return-of-migrant-workers-body-after-unexplained-death-on-uk-us-military-base
Katie McQue 