(POC) - AECOM will provide program management advisory and technical advisory support to help Ukraine rebuild its infrastructure, the company announced last month. The Dallas-based firm signed a memorandum of understanding with Ukraine’s Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development to serve as its reconstruction delivery partner.
A Kyiv School of Economics report released in March said the damage Russia has caused to Ukraine’s infrastructure after a year of war has reached $36.2 billion in replacement costs. That number rises to $143.8 billion when including housing, healthcare, energy and other types of facilities.
“The reconstruction of Ukraine is one of the world’s greatest humanitarian and infrastructure priorities, and we are honored to partner with Deputy Prime Minister Kubrakov and the Ukrainian government to help position this effort to successfully deliver on their long-term recovery ambitions,” AECOM CEO Troy Rudd said in the release.
In the role, AECOM will help design and establish an overall program management approach to aid in the efficient delivery of a range of reconstruction projects. Additionally, the firm announced it will work with Ukraine’s State Agency for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure to advance cost estimating and engineering support for complex and critical infrastructure projects.
The company did not disclose the value of the contracts.
AECOM has delivered major reconstruction work around the world in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia, according to the release, as well as post-natural disaster reconstruction in Nepal, Haiti, Japan, Indonesia and the Caribbean.
According to sources an U.S. contractor was killed and five service members and one other contractor injured by a drone strike on a coalition base in northeast Syria, reported by the Department of Defense.
The U.S. retaliated with airstrikes on Iranian-linked targets in Syria, which hit buildings that housed drone/aviation assets and vehicles used by groups affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). One activist group said the U.S. strikes killed fighters on the ground.
“The airstrikes were conducted in response to today’s attack as well as a series of recent attacks against coalition forces in Syria by groups affiliated with the I.R.G.C.,” Mr. Austin said in a statement
“These precision strikes are intended to protect and defend U.S. personnel,” the statement said. “The United States took proportionate and deliberate action intended to limit the risk of escalation and minimize casualties.”
“My plea is aimed at everyone and anyone who might potentially have the means to help us. To those that want to help but do not have the means, please share Gerco’s story far and wide so that we can have everyone make a noise to bring him home."
(POC) — Gerco was kidnapped on November 3, 2017 while on his way to the Awbari power plant where he was employed as an on-site emergency medical practitioner.
In a new video released by al-Qaeda recorded on March 15, 2023, Gerco explains exactly what happened the day he was kidnapped he also added he was held in Libya for eight months before he was “sold” to JNIM and taken into northern Mali. He also said that while in captivity, he was shot in the arm, which has left him with limited mobility due to “misaligned bones.” Deventer pleaded for any help to secure his release, adding that he has not spoken with or heard of anything about his wife and three children.
Exclusive Follow-Up: A leaked video featuring South African hostage Gerco Van Deventer has recently surfaced and is believed to be intended for al-Qaeda’s propaganda channels in Mali at a JNIM location (al-Qaeda terrorists in Mali). The two-day-old clip shows Mr. Deventer… https://t.co/MaeDsl4V0Hpic.twitter.com/CC6hJagXRP
Back in January, analyst Mzahem Alsaloum received a proof of life photo of Deventer that was passed along to his wife, but this most recent video has been the first footage of Deventer since 2019. Captors have previously demanded $1.5 million for his release.