[wvns] Our Private Army in Iraq
There are 44,000 private security contractors in Iraq
Security staff make up a private army in Iraq
By Kim Sengupta
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2594165.ece
There are 44,000 private security contractors in Iraq, forming what
the US Senate dubbed the "largest private army in the world".
About 21,000 of those private guards are British - approximately three
times the total number of British troops in the country.
Many are former British soldiers, some of whom had left the forces
early lured by the high wages - a thousand dollars a day tax free.
There are also large numbers of Americans, South Africans, Zimbabweans
and Gurkhas working forprivate firms in Iraq.
The jobs they do, although lucrative, are among the most dangerous in
the world. Some firms are now pulling out of Iraq because of the sheer
risks involved.
Garda World, the Canadian company which employed the British guards
kidnapped yesterday had taken over the work in Baghdad after acquiring
Kroll Security International. Its parent company wanted to offload the
business as it said the contracts had become less profitable and more
dangerous.
The Foreign Office's main contracts in Iraq are with Armor Group and
Control Risks, who are regarded as the "blue chip" end of the security
business.
The charity War on Want accused the British government of reneging on
pledges to control private security companies and "privatise the war"
- letting contractors take over duties while drawing down the number
of UK forces.
The British security industry, strongly deny the charge that their
personnel abuse their power in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. They
say those allegations are out-of-date and rules have been drawn up to
ensure professional standards.
Many in the private sector have, however, expressed alarm about the
types of recruits attracted by the money. Robin Horsfall, a former SAS
trooper and security guard said "former soldiers are working alongside
people who have been involved in nightclub security and have very
limited experience. It's because a lot of contracts only demand that
you can prove you have got six week's security experience".
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