Iraq Facts

Iraq Fact: On March 31, 2004, four American civilian contractors were
killed by a grenade in Fallujah, Iraq. The bodies of the contractors were
burned and hung from a bridge. Then in a scene reminiscent of Mogadishu,
Somalia, the corpses were beaten and dragged through the streets. At the
time the civilian contractors were portrayed in the media as American
workers helping Iraqis rebuild their country, however, in reality they
were ex-Navel Seal, para-military security forces working for a firm called
Blackwater USA, and were on an intelligence gathering mission. (1)



Blackwater Security Consulting, whose four employees were viciously killed and
mutilated by a mob in Fallujah, Iraq, is one of a growing number of private security
contractors that are hiring military veterans for jobs previously assigned to the
military. 15,000 private security agents from the United States, Britain and
countries as varied as Nepal, Chile, Ukraine, Israel, South Africa and Fiji were
employed in Iraq during the time of the attack. There are around 25 different
security firms operating in Iraq performing tasks ranging from training the country's
new police and army to protecting government leaders to providing logistics for
the U.S. military. (2)

In March of 2004, it was reported that Blackwater had flown a group of about 60
former Chilean commandos, many of who had trained under the military
government of Augusto Pinochet, from Santiago to its training camp in North
Carolina. From there they were taken to Iraq.

In an interview with the Chilean newspaper La Tercera, a former Chilean army
officer, Carlos Wamgnet, 30, who was going to Iraq, said: "We are calm. This mission
is nothing new for us.

"In the end, this is an extension of our military career."

John Rivas, 27, a former Chilean marine, said the work in Iraq would provide a "very
good income" that would allow him to support his family.

"I don't feel like a mercenary," he added. (3)

According to Gary Jackson, President of Blackwater USA,

"We scour the ends of the earth to find professionals - the Chilean
commandos are very, very professional and they fit within the Blackwater
system." he added, "We have grown 300% over each of the past three years
and we are small compared to the big ones'

"We have a very small niche market, we work towards putting out the cream
of the crop, the best." (3)


The privatisation of security in Iraq has been growing as the US seeks to reduce
its commitment of troops. Since private companies pay experienced special forces
personnel far more than the armed services, a decline in re-enlistment has
resulted amongst the most highly trained troops. This has created a cycle where
the private firms are continually taking over more duties once done by "regular"
military forces

According to Jackson,

"The US military has ... problems," he said. "If they are going to outsource
tasks that were once held by active-duty military and are now using private
contractors, those guys [on active duty] are looking and asking, 'Where is
the money? (3)



Reports of the number of "private contractors" operating in Iraq varies form 10 to
20 thousand. As of Sept. 2005, 269 had been killed in action. (4)

Questions have been raised about the nature in which this large force of paid
mercenaries operates. Members of these security companies are highly trained ex-
Special Forces personnel, many non-American, that do not have to adhere to the
rules of engagement that the conventional military sets forth in order to meet
international law. With salaries that can be as high as $1,000 a day, squads of
Bosnians, Filipinos, Israelis, and varies other foreign nationals from nearly every "hot
spot" in the world have been hired for tasks ranging from airport security to
protecting American and Iraqi leaders. There is further concern that the non-
American fighters loyalty to the parent company could supersede that of the
United States who they are in fact representing, creating a higher probability that
the United States? image abroad will be tarnished.


IraqFact: Blackwater in Iraq