FBI investigating reported assault of female Fort Bliss soldier by Afghan refugees

Officials at Fort Bliss confirmed Monday that the FBI is investigating the alleged assault of a female soldier at Fort Bliss, Texas, by several male Afghan refugees.

“The investigation is currently with the FBI and have since provided acknowledgement that they received the case from Fort Bliss,” said Lt. Col. Allie Payne, 1st Armored Division spokeswoman, in a statement emailed to Military Times.

According to Payne, the incident occurred on Sept. 19 when a “small group of male evacuees” at the Doña Ana Complex in New Mexico allegedly assaulted a female servicemember.

While Payne declined to comment on specific details of the assault, she did say that the soldier received medical care and counseling in the wake of the attack.

Payne told Military Times that the installation “took an in-depth review” of protocols after the report was made.

“Since that date, we reiterated the established buddy-system, installed security cameras and monitoring systems with staff, increased lighting, and increased our health and safety patrols in the village,” Payne said.

Fort Bliss is one of eight military installations in the U.S. expected to house about 50,000 Afghan refugees evacuated from Afghanistan during the U.S. withdrawal.

Last week, according to the Hill, an Afghan refugee being housed at Ft. McCoy, Wisconsin, was charged criminally for attempting to engage in a sexual act with a minor.

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