Private contractors in Iraq stage “parallel surge.”
Private contractors in Iraq stage “parallel surge.”
“Private security companies, funded by billions of dollars in U.S. military and State Department contracts, are fighting insurgents on a widening scale in Iraq, enduring daily attacks, returning fire and taking hundreds of casualties that have been underreported and sometimes concealed, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials and company representatives.”
While the military has built up troops in an ongoing campaign to secure Baghdad, the security companies, out of public view, have been engaged in a parallel surge, boosting manpower, adding expensive armor and stepping up evasive action as attacks increase, the officials and company representatives said. [...]
The majority of the more than 100 security companies operate outside of Iraqi law, in part because of bureaucratic delays and corruption in the Iraqi government licensing process, according to U.S. officials.
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Call them mercenary thugs, because that is what they are.
June 16th, 2007 at 12:23 pmDoesn’t this make you proud to be an American!!!!!
June 16th, 2007 at 12:26 pmLast time I checked, we have a goddamn Army – and a good one, too.
Why would anyone want to use mercenary forces? To remove criminal acts from purview of the People.
Seems like we keep ringing the alarm bell, but no one comes a’runnin’.
I hope someones writing all of this down.
June 16th, 2007 at 12:27 pmBest to pull all the US troops out of Iraq. The BIG OIL corporations can hire the mercenary thugs, at their expense, as their private army to try to hold onto the OIL fields. Good luck you damn fools.
June 16th, 2007 at 12:29 pmWhy would anyone want to use mercenary forces? To remove criminal acts from purview of the People.
Seems like we keep ringing the alarm bell, but no one comes a’runnin’.
I hope someones writing all of this down.
Comment by smafdy
And the military doesn’t give kickbacks to politicians. Private contractors do.
June 16th, 2007 at 12:32 pmThere’s profit to be made in death and mayhem.
Democracy on the……aw f*ck it…
June 16th, 2007 at 12:32 pmThe use of these “covert agencies” paid for by taxpayer dollars is absolutely CRIMINAL. This government has been hijacked by the insiders, that’s becoming clear.
June 16th, 2007 at 12:36 pmSure, zooey – that’s what this is ALL about anyway – MEGA ‘WAR PROFITEERING’ on the backs of our military and our taxpayers. It’s the hallmark of fascism by definition where big corporations run the government. Big money these days in death and dying.
June 16th, 2007 at 12:37 pmWell…..not ALL it’s about….the more obvious goal is OIL.
June 16th, 2007 at 12:37 pm#5 That’s why Al Gore’s “campaign finance reform” is essential. That’s also why we will have to “sweep Congress clean” during the next elections – all incumbents “OUT!”.
June 16th, 2007 at 12:38 pmThese mercenaries deserve no sympathy, they are the start of the imperial praetorian guard. They serve the Bushit Empire, not the American people.
June 16th, 2007 at 1:07 pmSo we have about 160,000 troops in Iraq, with a “surge” in full effect.
We have more than 120,000 mercenary soldiers also in Iraq – but their numbers are seldom reported, nor are their deaths. So we have a quarter million in Iraq and we are still losing — how many more must we send into the bottomless pit? For what? For whom?
There is no glory in fighting this war.
Some mercenaries and some soldiers will undoubtedly remain if and when we finally get out of Iraq, but what of the ones who come back? A large number of cases of PTSD are anticipated, but what about a well-trained, well-armed, unsupervised, corporate owned militia, returning to our country after having spent years in Iraq?
June 16th, 2007 at 1:26 pmThe constitution clearly spells out who has authoroty to do what, and the Congress is specifically given the authority to raise an army.
It sounds to me like the State Dept does not have the constitutional authority to raise armies, and certainly not for four-plus years! I agree that Congress can authorize the use of our military by the State Dept for guarding embassies and such. But to hire their own mercenaries? That doesn’t quite sound right to me.
Can any of our constitutional experts out there clarify this for me?
June 16th, 2007 at 1:28 pmMarie > bingo you win the prize. Bush intends for Blackwater mercenary goons to become his enforcement militia in the US. If a draft takes place, then Blackwater goons will arrive at your house to take your son or daughter away to die as cannon fodder. Mercenaries would kill their own parents for money.
June 16th, 2007 at 1:32 pmWell…..not ALL it’s about….the more obvious goal is OIL.
Comment by veritas — June 16, 2007 @ 12:37 pm
I would say that it is more about the control of oil. Greg Palast has reported that Iraq’s oil exports are down about 2 million barrels a day, which is just about the normal “excess” floating around the system. By deliberately keeping the supply down, they’ve managed to keep the price up and enrich their friends.
Don’t get me started on oil companies. If oil truly is a “national security interest”, then why do we just let the free market dictate the price? That just puts us at the mercy of all the other countries bidding for the same oil. If anything, letting the price of oil be determined by the unaccountable “free market” is the opposite of protecting our national security interests.
June 16th, 2007 at 1:33 pmPetroleum Cartel Conglomerate Mafia is the problem. Nations that have oil have a commodity to sell and other nations need to buy it. Without the greed of BIG OIL corporations, then their would not be a problem.
June 16th, 2007 at 1:39 pmThe BEST thing about a mercenary army is that if they are captured, tortured, or killed, since THEY are not accountable or accounted for,
no one needs to feel sorry that we lost one of our soldiers who have been DYING FOR BUSH’S LIES.
The mercenaries took the risk for the big money and PERISHED, which is what they DESERVE…
June 16th, 2007 at 1:52 pmWhen you make a choice to sell your soul to the devil, you can’t expect longevity. I don’t care one wit if any of them die. Why should they make 6 figures when our soldiers, sailors, and airmen and women are barely making enough to support a wife family? They don’t get care when they come back. What is going to happen to our country when tens of thousands of young people can’t work, are mentally unstable, and need care throughout their lives? What’s going to happen when thugs like these mercenaries return and are mentally unstable?
Fear will be the way of the day then. Our lives and our children’s lives are endangered with every passing day. And many in this country continue to cheer it. BRING IT ON!
Watch what you ask for. You might just get it.
June 16th, 2007 at 2:03 pmThey are “Unlawful Combatants”,not private contractors.
June 16th, 2007 at 2:08 pmUnacceptable for American taxpayers to be funding an Army not under American government control. Who thinks these things up and why does HE hate America?
June 16th, 2007 at 2:17 pmDYING FOR BUSH’S LIES.
Comment by Mr. Bush Goes To Hell — June 16, 2007 @ 1:52 pm
Kinda like JESVS dying 4 our sins, right Mr. BGTH?!?!?!?!?!?
June 16th, 2007 at 3:27 pmYou guys are pretty funny. I’m a Security COntractor over in Iraq and guess what…..99% of the Contractors over there are EX-special operation guys from the US Military. Sure they pay me 6 figures to conduct security operations behind enemy lines ( which is all of iraq in this case), but dont forget that we love our COuntry more than most of you folks who sit at your desk and complain about gas prices. Before we were mercs, we were US Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen…. we still love the USA and we still fight for its freedom, and i dont see you doing anything other than bashing US war Vets.
June 16th, 2007 at 3:48 pmIt would be interesting to see how long any of the hate spewing people, who placed comments here, would live if they tried to conduct business in Iraq. U.S. forces can’t be expected to provide security for private business to function in such a hostile environment and the police there are unable to provide security for their own people, let alone the foreign workers.
My guess is that these civilian security people are starting to have an impact on the killers who are stalking them and our internal enemies in this country are getting mad about their success. That must be why all of this attention and hatred is being directed against them. Or am I just another neosomething that is being controlled by Bush?
June 16th, 2007 at 4:17 pmRickyRecon
June 16th, 2007 at 4:47 pmI read this post and saw your comment above and figured you might be a good person to ask this question:
If a private group’s strategist decided it was to their benefit to… say… take out a bridge or block a specific road, do they contact the U.S. military before they take action? Are they allowed under law to coordinate with the U.S.? How do private groups make sure their operations are not counter-productive to U.S. Military actions?
(Okay, 3 questions)
Kinda like JESVS dying 4 our sins, right Mr. BGTH?!?!?!?!?!?
Not really. Jesus died for us ALL so that we can live FOREVER…
More like THUGS who died for a WAR CRIMINAL like Bush.
Who will be DAMNED in the FIRES OF HELL
FOREVER…
June 16th, 2007 at 5:01 pmRickyRecon > you can try to put lipstick on a pig, but mercenaries are killers for hire. Most on here want regular US troops returned home alive to their families. If you want to stay in Iraq, under the employ of the OIL corporations, then good luck to you.
June 16th, 2007 at 5:02 pmRickyRecon,
FIGHT for the money…
DIE for the money…
Vets or NOT, you are THUGS and I hope MORE of you will be hanging from the bridges. Or burned to a crisp. By the people whose land you ILLEGALLY OCCUPY.
See YOU in hell rickyretard (cause I’LL be THERE and so will YOU),
Mr. Bush
June 16th, 2007 at 5:05 pmMURDEROUS WAR CRIMINAL
COWARDLY AWOL TRAITOR TO THE USA (TM–BushCrimeCo, Inc)
Comment by Mr. Bush Goes To Hell — June 16, 2007 @ 5:01 pm
Oh, NOW I see, Mr. BGTH, it’s cuz, IESVS was considered a criminal, and so too were his followers.
THAT is the reason why
IESVS IS IVST LIKE BVSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ll SEE you in the ISLE of the BLEST MR. BGTH, cuz I’ll BE there!!!!!!!!!!
GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR OCTAVIANVS AVGVSTVS
June 16th, 2007 at 6:06 pmPRIMVS INTER PARES
RES PVBLICA AMERICANUM
Without going into Operational Security, we are contracted by the US Government so everything we do is coordinated through them and the US Military. They work hand in hand with the Iraqi forces. This was not always the case in the past, but with today’s oversights and restrictions, we are accountable for all actions we take like blocking a bridge or a road. Hope this answers your question.
June 16th, 2007 at 6:27 pmRickyReconUSMC,
Are private mercenary contractors raised by Congress?
June 16th, 2007 at 6:50 pmOh, NOW I see, Mr. BGTH, it’s cuz, IESVS was considered a criminal, and so too were his followers.
THAT is the reason why
IESVS IS IVST LIKE BVSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ll SEE you in the ISLE of the BLEST MR. BGTH, cuz I’ll BE there!!!!!!!!!!
GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR OCTAVIANVS AVGVSTVS
PRIMVS INTER PARES
RES PVBLICA AMERICANUM
Comment by PRIMVS INTER PARES
Uh….. YEAHHH…….
bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
June 16th, 2007 at 7:00 pmWithout going into Operational Security, we are contracted by the US Government so everything we do is coordinated through them and the US Military.
Comment by RickyReconUSMC — June 16, 2007 @ 6:27 pm
Since it has nothing to do with “Operational Security”, would you mind telling us exactly which part of the “US Government” gave you the contract?
June 16th, 2007 at 10:09 pmMercenaries, not “contractors.” These folks are soldier of fortune types who are not part of the chain of command and are answerable to no one. The future private armies of big corporations.
When the next American revolution comes, THESE are the evil f*ckers we will be fighting against.
June 16th, 2007 at 11:18 pmAre you people incapable of reading anything ?
Why should TP bother writing anything if you are going to ignore it and copy/paste pre-meditated talking points ?
The “surge” cited here is that private contractors are coming under attack more.
The first 3 comments in response to this are:
June 17th, 2007 at 1:41 am
Well after all the “Humanitarian Parasites”, called NGO’s, have left Iraq is absurd to believe the humanity will fall from the sky. Remember as Condi once trumpeted: “from Baghdad will be a domino-effect to the occupied territories in Palestine. Today we can see what is going on with Hamas and Gaza and must finally realize that this dominos are falling, yes, but in the opposite direction! So all this NGO’s which where raising millions from private donations and left Iraq what else have they done then spending this donations for their own administrative work at home on salaries every jobless American could dream off… Don’t think that the money they raised in huge money-begging-operations is not a victim of money laundering! It is easy to mess up another country by voting for this war and a doubtful individual as a president and then say: actually we didn’t meant it like this and now we want to have our troops home so we can blame the private military contractors…
June 19th, 2007 at 7:38 am