INTERNACIONAL
Military veterans of US’ ‘toxic soup’ Uzbekistan base fighting for proper care 20 years after its shutter
At the former Soviet base-turned-CIA black site and U.S. military base in Uzbekistan, researchers knew early on danger lingered not just from the enemy but from the ground itself.
Karshi-Khanabad Air Base, known as K2, was a launchpad for U.S. operations into Afghanistan after 9/11. But for thousands of American troops who served there, it may have been a death sentence.
Matthew «Nick» Nicholls, an Army environmental technician and preventive medicine specialist, was part of an early team that assessed the environmental hazards at K2.
«It is probably the most toxic soup of chemicals that any service member has ever been exposed to,» Nicholls told Fox News Digital.
Yellowcake uranium oozed from the ground. Jet fuel and volatile chemicals from decaying Soviet rocket bunkers polluted the soil and air. Dangerous fumes hung over the base like the fog of forgotten war.
Nicholls and his team warned commanders, providing recommendations like laying down gravel to suppress toxic dust and restrictions on how long personnel could work in high-risk zones. Some precautions were taken, others weren’t.
Researchers excavated «Soviet-era jet fuel that was pure enough to put into an engine and work» at K2 base. (Obtained by Fox News Digital via Matthew Nicholls)
Images show visible «yellowcake» found in the ground at the K2 base. (Obtained by Fox News Digital/Matthew Nicholls)
«People that I am friends with are actively dying from cancer right now,» Nicholls said. «These are weird ontologies that are striking down people who are very young, people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, in the prime of their life.»
K2 veterans have reported a disturbing trend of rare and aggressive cancers, reproductive organ diseases, osteoarthritis and sudden, unexplained deaths.
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«These are not the cancers that young people normally get,» Nicholls said. «Their stories are not really able to be told. That’s the tragedy of it.»
«These people went there right after 9/11 to avenge the deaths of those who were murdered,» Nicholls said. «Yet we had this launching pad in Uzbekistan that was left in such derelict condition by the Soviets.»
Between 2001 and 2005, more than 15,000 U.S. service members passed through K2. Thousands more served as contractors. Many now find themselves struggling to get adequate medical care or recognition from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The VA recognizes such veterans «may have encountered several hazardous exposures,» and the Department of Defense conducted an initial study to look at cancer outcomes. But that study was based only on a few cases of each type of cancer and should not be viewed as «definitive evidence of an association with service at K-2,» the VA says.
But a spokesperson for Rep. Mark Green said he does not believe these studies were enough, that they did not take the full extent of contamination into account and did not appropriately inform occupants of the base of their exposure risk or account for the full range of diseases that can result from toxic exposures.
«That is why Rep. Green’s NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) amendment calls for a new, fully rigorous epidemiological study to cover these blind spots,» the spokesperson said. «There are too many unknowns to call it a case closed.»
Fox News Digital has reached out to the VA for comment.
Green, R-Tenn., and Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., introduced a provision in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act requiring the Pentagon to complete a study on K2 exposure within 180 days. Four years later, that study remains unfinished.
«This is unjust,» Green told Fox News Digital. «There were repeated warnings that service members were being exposed to toxins, and yet their health and safety were ignored by Pentagon leadership of that day.»
Researchers test radioactivity at K2. (Obtained by Fox News Digital/Matthew Nicholls)
A researcher explores substances in an excavation pit at K2. (Matthew Nicholls/Obtained by Fox News Digital)
In a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital that went out late Friday, Green is pressing the Pentagon to complete the long-overdue study, a step he argues is essential to ensure K2 veterans receive the care they deserve.
«Because this study has yet to be completed (as far as Congress is aware), many K2 veterans are still waiting to receive much needed care,» he wrote. «This is unjust. There were repeated warnings at Camp Stronghold Freedom that servicemembers (sic) were being exposed to toxins, and yet their health and safety were ignored by the Pentagon leadership of that day.»
The Pentagon told Fox News Digital it would respond to Green privately.
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In 2024, the VA moved to expand access to disability for K2 veterans and lower the burden of proof for the veterans to link their illnesses to their service. But advocates say it wasn’t enough.
«The VA is dragging its feet,» Green said. «I think it really purely comes down to cost. I get that the VA wants to be judicious, but my God, the numbers here are so convincing. This is long past due.»
Green has also introduced new legislation requiring the VA to formally recognize links between K2 toxic exposure and diseases like cancer, ensuring affected veterans qualify for care and benefits.
Toxins at K2 included petrochemicals, volatile organic compounds, depleted uranium, burn pits and tetrachlorethylene, all chemicals associated with long-term health risks.
But K2 veterans are not specifically named in the PACT Act, which expanded coverage for other toxic exposures like Agent Orange and burn pits.
Green, a physician and Army veteran, sees disturbing echoes of past delays.
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«Bureaucrats come and go, and bureaucrats have their own agendas,» he said. «I want to make sure that it’s written in stone and that these guys are not forgotten.»
Veterans,Middle East,Wars
INTERNACIONAL
Al menos cinco muertos y diez heridos en un ataque israelí en la frontera entre Líbano y Siria
Al menos cinco personas murieron y otras diez resultaron heridas en un ataque perpetrado este jueves por el Ejército de Israel en el paso fronterizo de Masnaa, que se encuentra en la gobernación libanesa de Becá (este), a pesar del alto el fuego alcanzado en noviembre de 2024.
El Ministerio de Sanidad de Líbano informó a través de un breve comunicado recogido por la agencia de noticias NNA de que se trata de un balance preliminar y sostiene que “el ataque del enemigo israelí” tuvo como objetivo un vehículo ubicado en la carretera de Masnaa. Por el momento, el Ejército de Israel no se ha pronunciado al respecto.
Por otro lado, la cartera ministerial confirmó también la muerte de una persona en un ataque aéreo en la localidad de Kfardan, en la gobernación de Baalbek, que se encuentra en el extremo nororiental del país.
Israel justifica este tipo de ataques contra Líbano argumentando que actúa contra actividades del grupo terrorista Hezbollah y que, por ello, no viola el alto el fuego pactado en noviembre, si bien tanto Beirut como el grupo se han mostrado críticos con estas acciones, igualmente condenadas por Naciones Unidas.
El pacto, alcanzado tras meses de combates al hilo de los ataques del 7 de octubre de 2023, contemplaba que tanto Israel como Hezbollah debían retirar sus efectivos del sur de Líbano. Sin embargo, el Ejército israelí ha mantenido cinco puestos en el territorio de su país vecino, algo también criticado por las autoridades libanesas, que exige el fin de este despliegue.
Por otra parte, el Consejo de Ministros de Líbano aprobó este jueves la propuesta de Estados Unidos sobre el desarme de Hezbollah. El anuncio se produjo tras una sesión celebrada en el Palacio de Baabda, en la que el gabinete libanés avaló los objetivos presentes en el documento presentado por el enviado estadounidense Tom Barrack.
El ministro de Información, Paul Morcos, declaró que “el gabinete ha concluido el debate del primer punto de su sesión y ha aprobado los objetivos establecidos en la introducción del documento estadounidense para consolidar el acuerdo de cese de hostilidades”.
Morcos señaló que el gobierno sigue “a la espera de un plan de implementación del Ejército” y afirmó: “Hemos acordado poner fin a la presencia armada en todo el país, incluido Hezbollah, y desplegar el Ejército libanés en las zonas fronterizas”, según declaraciones recogidas por NNA.
El documento estadounidense propone que Líbano adopte medidas que extiendan su soberanía sobre todo su territorio, incluyendo el monopolio estatal sobre la decisión de guerra y paz, así como sobre el uso de las armas. Plantea la progresiva eliminación de la presencia armada de todas las facciones no estatales, incluido Hezbollah, la movilización del ejército en puntos clave de la frontera y la retirada de Israel de las zonas libanesas que ocupa actualmente.
El plan insta a resolver los puntos pendientes con Israel mediante “negociaciones indirectas y medios diplomáticos”, y contempla el retorno de los residentes desplazados a sus localidades afectadas por el conflicto. También reclama una delimitación “permanente y visible” de las fronteras de Líbano con Israel y Siria. Washington ha propuesto una conferencia económica internacional para reconstruir la economía libanesa y canalizar más apoyo a las fuerzas de seguridad del país, vinculando estos pasos a la visión del expresidente Donald Trump para el desarrollo económico nacional.
El enviado estadounidense, Tom Barrack, afirmó este jueves que el gobierno libanés tomó una decisión “histórica” esta semana al avanzar hacia el desarme de Hezbollah, respaldado por Irán, tal como ha solicitado Washington.
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While she is shutting down her sanctuary state’s migrant shelters, critics are accusing Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey of simply shifting the costs over to a program that makes migrants eligible to receive at least $30,000 in housing assistance over two years.
The Boston Herald reported in June that the Healey administration had increased spending in Massachusetts’ HomeBASE program to $97 million in 2025, up from $9.5 million in 2022, according to state data.
The outlet reported that eligible families in the Massachusetts-run shelter system were being provided with $30,000 in rental assistance over two years. According to the Herald, the total caseload for HomeBASE increased under Healey from 1,473 in January 2023 to 7,767 in April 2025, more than a 400 percent increase. The outlet also said that some eligible families could qualify for an additional $15,000 in a third year of assistance but that state officials planned to pause third year assistance in July.
After that report, Massachusetts GOP Chair Amy Carnevale commented that the HomeBASE program amounted to being «shelters by another name.»
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As Massachusetts Democratic Governor Maura Healey closes down the sanctuary state’s migrant shelters, she is facing criticism for simultaneously shifting costs to dramatically increase spending on a program that detractors say makes immigrants eligible to receive $30,000 in housing assistance. (Photo by Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images and Joseph Prezzioso/AFP via Getty Images)
«Taxpayers are giving migrant families nearly limitless free rental assistance. Meanwhile, federal action means these families won’t be receiving work permits anytime soon,» she went on, adding, «The migrant shelter crisis is not over, and cost-shifting is not leadership.»
This month, Healey announced the closure of all remaining hotel shelters in the Bay State amid the formal termination of her executive emergency focused on the state’s Biden-era migrant influx.
In a statement emailed to Fox News Digital, Carnevale said that «friends, favors, and failures continue to emerge even as she declares that the migrant crisis is over.»
«Healey should rip off the Band-Aid and tell the public whether these same oversights are occurring in the HomeBASE program,» she continued.
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A security guard patrols the emergency overflow shelter for migrants at the Melnea A. Cass Recreation Complex in Boston. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
«The abuse of taxpayer dollars, coupled with a stunning lack of oversight by Maura Healey and her administration, will define her legacy as governor.»
Meanwhile, Jon Fetherston, a former Massachusetts migrant shelter director who blew the whistle about rampant crime and abuse taking place in the system, commented that «instead of creating stability, HomeBase has become a revolving door of short-term rental assistance.»
He said that because migrants often spend the bulk of their $30,000 on upfront costs, many become unable to sustain their housing within months.
«The Healey Administration’s expansion of the HomeBASE program was sold to the public as a solution, one that would save money, reduce shelter dependence, and help migrant families become self-sufficient. But the reality is far different,» he explained. «HomeBASE is now a bloated, mismanaged program that’s failing both the taxpayers who fund it and the migrants it claims to help.»
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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Gov. Maura Healey tour a Boston facility housing over 300 migrant families. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
«HomeBASE, in its current form, is a broken promise,» he said. «Taxpayers are footing a nearly $100 million bill with little transparency, no measurable outcomes and no end in sight. The promise of savings from closing hotel shelters is being quietly replaced with backdoor spending that still lacks accountability.
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«This isn’t a hand-up; it’s a setup for failure.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Healey’s office for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
sanctuary cities,massachusetts,immigration,democratic party,border security,migrant crime
INTERNACIONAL
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