Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun and foreign workers killed in Mideast missile strikes
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · May 4
Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun and foreign workers killed in Mideast missile strikes
5 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 4
The 35-year-old Bangladeshi died after a March 8 strike on a Saudi workers' camp, one of at least 28 foreign workers killed in the Gulf and Israel.
Advocates say many migrant labourers lacked bomb shelters and protections as the US-Israel-Iran war disrupted travel, damaged energy facilities and threatened jobs, wages and remittances.
With a shaky April ceasefire holding, Iran still blocks the Strait of Hormuz, raising prices in South Asia and deepening workers' dilemma between danger abroad and hardship at home.
Trapped between missiles and poverty, who will protect the millions of workers caught in the Mideast crossfire?
As ceasefire talks collapse, what is the next move in the high-stakes conflict between America and Iran?
With the Mideast's oil lifeline severed, how close is the global economy to a full-blown recession?
The Deadly Toll of the Gulf Conflict: 24 Migrant Workers Killed and the Urgent Need to Dismantle the Kafala System
Overview
In March 2026, Iran's missile strike on a workers' camp in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia, killed several South Asian migrant workers, including Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun, highlighting the deadly risks faced by migrants living near military targets without adequate protection. The kafala system traps these workers, restricting their movement and preventing evacuation, while ongoing labor abuses and economic desperation force them to remain in harm's way. The broader Gulf conflict has disrupted remittance flows and caused economic crises in South Asia, deepening poverty and instability. Despite evacuation efforts, travel disruptions and kafala restrictions hinder safe exit, and insufficient reforms allow these vulnerabilities and abuses to persist, risking further human rights catastrophes.