Month: September 2019

Corporate Security Manager / CPO

We are looking for a mature astute professional that has spent time and is comfortable in the corporate environment. Character traits – Quietly Unassuming, Professional, well mannered, logistical thinker and planner able to conduct all matters in absolute confidence.
Position is primarily based in Zimbabwe, with regular travel to SA and other SADC Countries (Suitable passport required) Additional visas showing past or valid travel to U.K., U.SA or South East Asia will be beneficial to the candidate’s application. Whilst based in Harare, candidate will be given reasonable time off to return to RSA as needed or timed with the Executives schedule.
Candidate should ideally have a policing or military background and must not have a record or exposure that can be publicly found related to historical or illegal activity against any government. Must have all current legal compliance docs in place. (PSIRA/SIA, handgun competency, driver’s license, etc.) Must be comfortable using MS office products, and relevant tech devices and apps.
Age range late 30’s to late 40’s.
Responsible for conducting or overseeing;
  • Personal Protection of Executive Team
  • Travel advance planning and logistics management
  • Corporate office complex security (SOP’s)
  • CPO hiring and deployments
Employer Parent – Private Company U.S / U.K with SADC representation. Applicant background checking will be conducted through U.K and USA and this job comes with random illicit drug and alcohol testing.
Anyone interested in applying, please forward your cv to ilde@bga.za.com

Afghanistan hospital attack death toll soars to 39

Officials said the wall of the NDS building was damaged but couldn't say whether any personnel were among the casualties [AFP]
Officials said the wall of the NDS building was damaged but couldn’t say whether any personnel were among the casualties [AFP]

The death toll in a Taliban suicide attack near a hospital in southern Zabul province has gone up to 39, Afghan officials said on Friday.

At least 95 others have been wounded in the car bomb explosion that the armed group said targeted a nearby government intelligence department building in Qalat, the capital of Zabul province.

A senior defence ministry official in Kabul said the fighters wanted to target a training base for the country’s powerful security agency the National Directorate of Security (NDS), but parked the explosives-laden vehicle outside a hospital gate nearby.

Residents, many of whom had come to see their sick family members, used shawls and blankets to carry the wounded inside the destroyed hospital building, while authorities scrambled to take the worst of the wounded to hospitals in nearby Kandahar.

Haji Atta Jan Haqbayan, a member of the provincial council in Qalat, said 20 bodies and 95 wounded had been evacuated from the blast site.

Haqbayan said the wall of the NDS building was damaged. He couldn’t say whether any personnel were among the casualties.

“The number of casualties may rise as rescue teams and people are still searching the bodies under the rubble,” he said.

Several women, children, health workers and patients in the hospital were critically injured the blast.

On Wednesday, at least 48 people were killed in the Afghan capital Kabul in two separate attacks, one of which was aimed at a campaign rally of President Ashraf Ghani.

The Taliban has warned in recent days that its fighters will intensify their campaign against the Afghan government and foreign forces to dissuade people from voting in the September 28 poll. President Ghani is running for a second five-year term.

After months of peace talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, US President Donald Trump last week abruptly called off the talks with the Taliban following the killing of an American marine in a suicide attack.

The US president, who is eager to end US involvement in the 18-year-old Afghan war, was open to withdrawing thousands of American troops from Afghanistan in exchange for security guarantees from the armed group.

The talks, which did not include the Afghan government, were intended as a prelude to wider peace negotiations.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif warns of ‘all-out war’

In an interview, Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran ‘won’t blink’ to defend itself but doesn’t want war after oil attacks.

Javad Zarif says Saudi and the US want 'to pin the blame' on Iran for Saturday's Aramco attacks [File: Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters]
Javad Zarif says Saudi and the US want ‘to pin the blame’ on Iran for Saturday’s Aramco attacks [File: Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters]

Any attack by the United States or Saudi Arabia on Iran will result in an “all-out war”, Tehran warned on Thursday.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif made the comments as tensions in the Gulf continue rise after attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure halted the production of about five percent of the world’s oil supply.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for Saturday’s strikes on Saudi’s oil facilities, but the United States alleged the attack involved cruise missiles from Iran and amounts to “an act of war”.

The US has said its military is “locked and loaded” to respond against the perpetrators.

“We don’t want war, we don’t want to engage in a military confrontation,” Zarif told CNN on Thursday, noting it would lead to “a lot of casualties”.

“But we won’t blink to defend our territory,” he added.

‘Making it up’
Saudi oil attacks: Riyadh displays ‘evidence’ of Iran responsibility

Asked about the consequence of “an American or Saudi military strike on Iran”, Zarif responded: “An all-out war.”

Saudi Arabia, which has been bogged down in a bloody five-year conflict in neighbouring Yemen, said on Wednesday that Iran “unquestionably sponsored” the attacks and the weapons used were Iranian-made – but did not directly blame its regional rival.

“They’re making that up,” Zarif responded. “Now they want to pin the blame on Iran, in order to achieve something. And that is why I’m saying this is agitation for war because it’s based on lies, it’s based on deception.”

Iran has repeatedly denied US and Saudi accusations of its involvement in Saturday’s strikes, saying the Houthis hit the oil facilities in response to the Saudi-Emirati-led military coalition’s ongoing attacks in Yemen.

The strikes on Saudi energy giant Aramco’s Abqaiq processing plant and Khurais oilfield halved the kingdom’s oil output.

A senior advisor to Iran’s top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called on Gulf countries to “come to their senses”, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported.

“They [US and Saudi Arabia] have realised that playing with the tail of a lion is highly dangerous and that if they take action against Iran at any time, they know there will be no tomorrow for them in the region,” Fars quoted Hossein Dehghan as saying.

‘Act of war’

After meeting with allies in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeosaid there was an “enormous consensus in the region” that Iran carried out Saturday’s attacks, despite its denials.

“I didn’t hear anyone in the region who doubted that for a single moment,” he told reporters.

Despite earlier condemning the strikes as an “act of war”, Pompeo said he was in the Gulf looking to achieve peace.

“We’d like a peaceful resolution. I think we’ve demonstrated that,” he said. “We’re here to build out a coalition aimed at achieving peace. I hope the Islamic Republic of Iran sees it the same way.”

The oil strikes have reignited fears over a wider conflagration in the region, as tensions remain high over the collapsing nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

Tehran has warned the United States it would retaliate “immediately” if targeted.
How drone attacks on Saudi Aramco might blow up US-Iran tensions

In a tweet, Zarif accused US allies and some American officials of trying to “deceive” President Donald Trump into entering a war with Iran.

“For their own sake they should pray that they won’t get what they seek,” he said.

The US military said on Thursday it was consulting with Saudi Arabia on ways to mitigate threats.

A Pentagon spokesman, speaking at a news briefing, declined to say whether the US military believed the drone and missile attack was launched from Iranian territory, deferring to Saudi Arabia’s ongoing assessment.

“We’re not going to get ahead of them on that,” spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said.

Trump on Wednesday struck a cautious note, saying there were many options short of war with Iran. He ordered more sanctions on Tehran, which Iran has called “economic terrorism”.

Maritime coalition

The United Arab Emirates on Thursday followed its ally Saudi Arabia in announcing it was joining a global maritime security coalition that Washington has been trying to build since a series of explosions on oil tankers in Gulf waters in recent months, which were also blamed on Iran.
Trump says he would ‘certainly like to avoid’ war with Iran

Pompeo, who arrived in the UAE from Saudi Arabia on Thursday, welcomed the move on Twitter. “Recent events underscore the importance of protecting global commerce and freedom of navigation.”

Britain and Bahrain previously said they were participating, but most European countries have been reluctant to sign up for fear of stoking regional tensions.

Iraq said it would not join the mission, and also rejected any Israeli role in it.

Kuwait, which said earlier this week it was investigating the detection of a drone over its territory, has put its oil sector on high alert and raised security to the highest level as a precautionary measure.

Tehran says the US accusations were part of Washington’s “maximum pressure” policy on Iran to force it to renegotiate the 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump exited last year, reimposing sanctions to choke off Iran’s vital oil exports.

Iran has gradually scaled back its nuclear commitments, and rejected any talks unless all sanctions are lifted.

“The United States is now using oil as a weapon. Oil is not a weapon,” Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh said on Thursday.

France, which is trying to salvage the nuclear deal, said the upcoming UN meeting New York presented a chance to de-escalate tensions.

“When missiles hit another country it is an act of war, but we have to go back to the principle of de-escalation,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. “There is an international investigation, let’s wait for its results.”

The US, Iran and global oil markets

COUNTING THE COST

The US, Iran and global oil markets

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES

Improvised Threat Instructor

Improvised Threat Instructor

Job Category:

Intelligence

Minimum Clearance Required to Start:

Secret

Employee Type:

Regular-Rotational Traveler

Percentage of Travel Required:

Up to 50%

Type of Travel:

Continental US, Local, Outside Continental US, Outside Continental US – Hazard

Job Description:

What You’ll Get to Do:

As a CACI-WGI (The Wexford Group International) Improvised Threat Instructor, you will provide current and customized training and subject matter expertise to a diverse base of U.S. and foreign military customers both in the classroom and in field environments. You will speak and present to large groups of students, ensuring the orderly conduct of the class. Customers include Conventional U.S. Forces, Special Operations Forces, and Foreign Partners conducting combat operations on today’s asymmetric threat battlefields.

More About the Role:

You will serve on a training team with responsibilities including researching current intelligence relating to applicable missions and integration of relevant information into courses. You will evaluate the effectiveness of training to ensure that training objectives are met. Your focus through the training programs is designed to improve the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of military forces responding to regional and/or worldwide threats.

You’ll Bring These Qualifications:

  • Must possess a current SECRET clearance. Eligible for TS/SCI.
  • Prior U.S. Military, Active Duty EOD Technician or Special Operations Forces (SOF) community.
  • Two or more operational deployments in the last 10 years to a GWOT theater.
  • Documented experience of the following counter improvised threat specialties: Counter small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-sUAS), Counter RCIED Electronic Warfare (CREW), Sensitive Site Exploitation (SSE), Homemade Explosives (HME), Dismounted Operations in an IED Environment, C-IED Planning Considerations, Route Clearance Operations, and Military Engineering.
  • Formal instructor training/certification and experience teaching specifically in the Engineer, SOF or EOD field on topics involving improvised threats.
  • Due to the nature of OCONUS travel, a current U.S. passport is required.

These Qualifications Would be Nice to Have:

  • Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 107 Unmanned Aircraft Pilot’s License.
  • Forensic collection and exploitation experience in permissive, semi-permissive, and/or non-permissive environment.
  • Experience in various handheld detectors used to detect IED’s and components.
  • Experience with commercial off-the-shelf small unmanned aircraft systems (e.g. drones).
  • Experience with Foreign Disclosure Office and Intelligence Community Authorized Classification and Control Markings.
  • Experience and/or training in executing Mission Assurance Assessments.
  • Ability to write and edit coursework.

What We Can Offer You:

  • The Wexford Group, International (CACI-WGI) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CACI with a reputation for uncompromising standards of quality in its people and its performance. Joining the CACI-WGI team is a mark of excellence for those employees who complete our rigorous Recruiting, Assessment, and Selection (RAS) process.
  • CACI-WGI’s mission places its personnel against the government’s most critical emerging challenges. Work with us and you’ll be working with a team making a difference across the globe.
  • CACI-WGI offers competitive benefits as well as numerous learning and development opportunities.
  • As the Prime Contractor for this effort with JIDO, CACI-WGI offers unmatched stability and growth potential within the program.

Company Overview:

At CACI, you will have the opportunity to make an immediate impact by providing information solutions and services in support of national security missions and government transformation for Intelligence, Defense, and Federal Civilian customers. CACI is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Females/Minorities/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities.

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Taliban attacks second Afghan city as talks with US wrap up

Taliban attacks second Afghan city as talks with US wrap up
The attack came a day after the Taliban attacked Kunduz [Reuters]

The Taliban has launched an attack on the capital of northern Afghanistan‘s Baghlan province and gun battles with government forces are ongoing, according to an official, overshadowing increasing expectations over a peace deal between the group and the United States aimed at ending 18 years of war.

There was no immediate word on any casualties but Jawed Basharat, spokesman for the provincial police chief, said on Sunday that fighting continued on the outskirts of Puli Khumri.

The early-morning attack came a day after hundreds of Taliban fighters overran parts of Kunduz, one of Afghanistan’s largest cities, in a major show of strength as the group wrapped up another round of peace talks with the US in Qatar.

The assault on Kunduz set off a day of gun battles, with the Afghan military deploying reinforcements and using air power to repel the fighters. On Sunday, the interior ministry said the Taliban had been cleared from Kunduz but some fighters had fled to Baghlan.

“We hear the sound of blasts. The people [Puli Khumri] are so worried,” Safdar Mohsini, chief of the Baghlan provincial council, told The Associated Press news agency.

“The Taliban are in residential areas fighting with Afghan security forces. We need reinforcements to arrive as soon as possible, otherwise the situation will go from bad to worse.”

If the Taliban enter the city they will be very difficult to repel, Mohsini added, saying security forces at some checkpoints had run away without resistance. The city, which is home to more than 200,000 people, is located 230km north of the capital, Kabul.

Near to agreement with Taliban

The attack in Baghlan came hours after Zalmay Khalilzad, the US envoy heading the negotiations with the Taliban, said he raised the Kunduz attack in his talks with the group in Doha and told its representatives “violence like this must stop”.

The attacks are seen as strengthening the Taliban’s negotiating position in the talks with Khalilzad, who, for nearly a year, has sought a deal on a US troop withdrawal in exchange for Taliban guarantees that Afghanistan will not be used as a launchpad for attacks outside the country.

After the end of the ninth round of talks in the early hours of Sunday, Khalilzad said he was headed to Kabul to brief the Afghan government.

He said the US and the Taliban are “at the threshold of an agreement”.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban’s political spokesman in Doha, said the talks between the two sides were a “success”.

“At 2pm today (Sunday), we will be talking with a small group of US officials on technical issues of the deal.”

There are some 14,000 remaining US troops in Afghanistan, where they train and support Afghan forces but also come to their aid with air raids and counterterror operations.

The approaching agreement with the Taliban “will reduce violence and open the door for Afghans to sit together to negotiate an honourable and sustainable peace and a unified, sovereign Afghanistan that does not threaten the United States, its allies, or any other country,” the Afghan-born Khalilzad said on Twitter.

 

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

Hezbollah says commanders ready to respond to ‘Israeli attack’

Hezbollah says commanders ready to respond to 'Israeli attack'
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah reiterated that the group would retaliate against an Israeli drone attack [Anwar Amro/AFP]

Hezbollah‘s leader has reiterated Israel would face repercussions for an alleged drone attack and said its field commanders were ready to respond.

“The need for a response is decided,” Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Saturday, adding that Israel “must pay a price.”

Nasrallah addressed supporters as tensions between the Lebanon-based movement and the Israeli government threatened to escalate further.

Last Sunday, Hezbollah accused Israel of flying explosive-laden drones into the group’s stronghold in the Lebanese capital and promised to retaliate.

At the time, the Iran-backed movement said one drone had landed on the roof of a building housing Hezbollah’s media office, while a second drone had exploded midair.

Israeli media has since reported that the drones were targeting hardware for mixing the propellant used in precision-guided missiles.

Hezbollah and Lebanese officials have not responded to those reports, while Israel has not claimed responsibility for the incident.

Alleged missile programme

On Thursday, Israel’s army accused Iran of collaborating with Hezbollah to assemble precision-guided missiles that could cause “massive” human casualties.

But Nasrallah on Saturday said claims that Hezbollah was working with Iran to builda missile production programme were a “lie” and a “hanger” to justify Israeli aggression against Lebanon.

“We do not have factories to produce precision-guided missiles in Lebanon,” Nasrallah said.

He added the group already has enough precision-missiles for any confrontation “small or big”, without needing to build factories to produce more.

Shortly before Nasrallah spoke, Israel’s army announced that it had ordered extra forces to deploy to the “northern command” along the border with Lebanon, further upping the ante in the escalation.

“Ground forces, air, navy and intelligence forces improved their preparedness for various scenarios” and “reserve soldiers have received a message regarding the relevant time they need to deploy,” the army said on Saturday.

Attacks on Iran-backed militias

Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy and has identified Hezbollah as the most potent military threat on its border.

Its military estimates that Hezbollah, which fought Israel to a stalemate in a month-long war in 2006, now has a vast arsenal of some 130,000 rockets and missiles, but most are believed to be relatively primitive unguided projectiles.

However, Israel considers the acquisition of precision-guided missiles by Hezbollah to be a major game-changer in the long-running standoff.

Beginning last week, a series of attacks have targeted Iranian-backed militias in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, stoking fears of a regional escalation. The militias have blamed the attacks on Israel, which has recently stepped up its efforts to curtail the expansion of Iranian influence in the Middle East.

Last Sunday’s drone attack in Lebanon came just hours after Israel launched attacks in neighbouring Syria to prevent what it said was an impending Iranian drone attack on Israel.

Hezbollah, which also operates in Syria, said two of its fighters were killed in those attacks.

In a rare incident on Wednesday, the Lebanese army said it opened fire on Israeli drones that had violated Lebanon’s southern airspace, forcing the aircraft to return across the border.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri has called the incursion “a threat to regional stability” and an attack on the country’s sovereignty.

 

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES