US mercenaries cause carnage in Baghdad

by Miriam Cotton - MediaBite Sat Sep 22, 2007 13:25 mcotton at mediabite dot org

We are not simply a "private security company." We are a professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations firm who provides turnkey solutions. We assist with the development of national and global security policies and military transformation plans. We can train, equip and deploy public safety and military professionals, build live-fire indoor/outdoor ranges, MOUT facilities and shoot houses, create ground and aviation operations and logistics support packages, develop and execute canine solutions for patrol and explosive detection, and can design and build facilities both domestically and in austere environments abroad.

http://www.blackwaterusa.com/about/

by Sceptic Sat Sep 22, 2007 13:40

It is not " puppet government". It is a representative government elected by universal franchise. It might not be very effective but that does not mean it is a puppet. Just because a Government has a pro US leaning does not mean it is a puppet. The widespread use the term to describe a number of Middle Eastern Governments is just vacuous name calling.

by Miriam - MediaBite Sat Sep 22, 2007 13:42

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18436.htm

by redjade Sat Sep 22, 2007 13:42

Amy Goodman: Can the Iraqi government kick out US mercenaries, such as Blackwater?

Part One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPWHklt9XvQ
Part Two
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTeNeQ6ocAI

And the last part has an amazing clip from CNN that illustrates how easily manipulated it is by pro-War propaganda....

Part Three
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWsCL24VykY

by iosaf Sat Sep 22, 2007 17:20

The recent Blackwater thing reminded me of revealations in the British "pro-military press" which Terence reported on the newswire here for us of one of the first admittals that the mercenary boom was worrying the "official invadors / occupiers / partners in building democracy". http://www.indymedia.ie/article/74918 I remembered the comment I left to Terence's article because I still can't get certain details of a 2002 US led "hunt-down of a mercenary" out of my head. Far before these "professional &very well paid private armies" moved to Iraq, a renegade (?) US special forces veteran had gone to Afghanistan in the immediate wake of 9/11, declared himself a "CIA operative" and went on the hunt for Osama & folk...... At least that was his excuse. The reality was he saw free reign to exercise his pleasure in hanging people up on butchers' hooks, blinding them and then torturing them to death. Needless to say when they caught up with him all the locals realised that he was one bad apple an exception to the rule & felt all the more sympathetic to the UN mandated mission to bring normality and human rights to Afghanistan.

Before Blackwater the US company that "filled a gap" in Iraq & Afghanistan of course there was Sandline who filled a gap in Guinea and much of Africa. Before Sandline there was of course the collapse of apartheid South Africa which left qualified psycopaths looking for a job - before apartheid South Africa there was the French "colonel" Bob Denard who was acquitted finally for the assassination of President Ahmed Abdallah of the Comoros Islands (who had been his former employer). Before long we get back to root of the insult "blaggard" or the black guard slave corps then we're at the buccaneers or "privateers" who tipped the balance in global european expansion. They all "filled a gap". From blackwater to black guards. From Tim Spicer to the blinding butcher of the Khyber.

But what is "the gap" they fill?
In the most immediate cases of Iraq, the gap they fill is that of legitimate international institutions which naturally were not present since the war was illegal, and the moment the invaders simply handed the jobs of policing back to Saddam's "constables" with few higher ranking arrests which coincided with the decision to hobble all left wing trade union activity thus ensuring political organisation would be on religious sectarian & traditional militia lines - there was a gap. In the case of Africa, the gap was again the legitimacy of the governments in question and that most appealing of gaps to evil men - a blank check to end the extension of rights.

What can be done?
Difficult one. The South Africa government a year ago introduced the "Prohibition of Mercenary Activities Bill" which aimed at ending the role that state has played before and after apartheid in recruitment of smaller scale mercenary workers. Those jobs too dirty to get into the classified sections of "Soldier of Fortune" where mostly pop singers & fashion designers find their private security but also too small scale to require the taxed up "on the books" power of
Blackwater. But at a stroke 780 South African citizens had 6 months to negotiate their exit from the British armed forces - as usual the problem was shuffled rather than ended. Many of them found their way to former US SEAL officer Prince's Blackwater.

Who is Mr Prince?
He's a delightful type, devout Roman Catholic who served as a US navy "SEAL" officer who served in Haiti, Bosnia and "the Middle East".....never further than 7 hours from a aircraft carrier. He's anti-euthanasia, anti-abortion & is known to use opinion on such issues as part of his "moral screening" recruits. When he was starting out he put in the hard work of building a military facility in the Great Dismal Swamp, North Carolina complete with the whole range of weapons which are technically illegal in that state, but save one supposes for a few off the beaten track airsofters looking for big game - nobody noticed. At present there are much more than 2,000 employers known to be operating in 9 states. They are the Adecco of private armies, & most curiously they are the model for the future............ As long as men are trained to kill, there will be those looking for work. As long as companies like Mr Prince's can raise their head above the swamp & such dubious beginnings, then those in the swamp will take the blame... Already the apologists for the last Blackwater incident point to the previous of reknown when they were the "victims" torn apart by a mob in Fallajuah, the mob seemingly couldn't find some real US troops...

Which lastly brings me to the current profile of Blackwater employees in Iraq if not Afghanistan. There might be a misconception based on the general profile of mercenary activity as widely known - Spicer, Sandline, Africa, Mark Thatcher etc.... that most mercenaries are ex-SAS or exSEAL or in any case from either US or UK military backgrounds. Ah! but therein the mystery as the poet said. Since at least 2004 the UK war office (which perhaps uniquely of ministry of defences gets its name right) has been working in its own ways to stop the "brawn-drain". That meant the discussion of various contracts which would bind former employees not to go off and work for another state (as in African) or another company (as in Blackwater). Obviously there was an element in those behind the door developments in the article Terence reported to us, which I again linked to at the top of this comment. But like Manpower, Adecco or anyother employment agency, who checks your typing speed and fingernails, Blackwater wants trigger fingers and brawn who are familiar with the territory. Thus it ought not surprise you that many recruits are in fact Bulgarian. The happy Bulgarians were brought in to the coalition of the willing by Bush for a variety of reasons - they offered him units trained in biochem weaponry (which they illegally had held cough cough) which would find WMD for us and if there was an accident, better one Bulgarian body bag than another with a blue white and red flag on it. The Bulgarians were amongst the first victims of "friendly fire" in the Iraqi theatre and having lost their military intelligence presence (which was suitably small & in any case reflected a curious loss by most coalition partners of key members intelligence staff.....another decade's story perhaps) the Bulgarians were the first to scale down their presence, without leaving naturally. In fact they didn't leave at all. They simply moved to Blackwater.

by PaddyK Sun Sep 23, 2007 00:58

I followed the Video link trail in Iosaf's post on Youtube.

This stuff is really quite astounding.

If you cant understand the anger of the Iraqi people, then you are bereft of a soul.

by Jim O'Sullivan Sun Sep 23, 2007 09:17

(Iraq) "It is not " puppet government". It is a representative government elected by universal franchise. It might not be very effective but that does not mean it is a puppet"

This is the level of comment that Sceptic brings to this discussion. Somewhere else I suggested that Sceptic's posts must come from a child messing at a keyboard. In hindsight, that was generous,

by Nodin Sun Sep 23, 2007 14:25

, "It is not " puppet government". It is a representative government elected by universal franchise. It might not be very effective but that does not mean it is a puppet. Just because a Government has a pro US leaning does not mean it is a puppet. The widespread use the term to describe a number of Middle Eastern Governments is just vacuous name calling. "

It has no control whatsoever over US Government forces. It has no control over these mercenary groups acting as 2nd line troops. Despite the Iraqi government revoking their "licence" to operate, they were back on duty 4 days later. In addition previous complaints have been summarily dismissed by the Americans. (see link to WP article below)

What kind of sovereign state has an order pre-imposed on its Government preventing it from prosecuting any person employed by its occupier? Order 17 of the CPA prevents any person guilty of a crime in Iraq being held accountable by the Iraqi justice system. Thats rather pathetic, even for a puppet state.

by Miriam Mon Sep 24, 2007 09:26

Al Jazeera reports how the Iraqi government have been forced into a U-turn on this issue:

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/AC0E7ECF-6160-42...D.htm

by Amber Wed Oct 03, 2007 17:25

The 'Prohibition of Mercenary' activity bill has not yet been passed into South African legislation. While the bill has been passed through all levels of parliament it is still awaiting presidential signature at which time it will be passed into legislation. At present, South African citizens serving in foreign armed forces still do so legally.

by Ben Hur - "surely this man was the son of God" Sun Apr 06, 2008 14:58

"........Security firm Blackwater has had its contract to protect US diplomats in Iraq extended. The move comes despite the continuing FBI investigation into the killing of 17 Iraqis by Blackwater staff guarding US officials in Baghdad last September. Blackwater says its guards acted in self-defence. An Iraqi inquiry concluded the shooting was unprovoked. The security company's contract was due to expire in May, but the government of Iraq said it had now set new criteria. State department head of security Gregory Starr said on Friday the contract had been extended for another year. "The demands of the Iraqi government have been taken into consideration and Blackwater will follow the Iraqi government's laws," said Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. However, the Iraqi government's political opponents called the move a "violation of the Iraqi judicial system". "The government should have shown its influence and authority by taking the initiative," a spokesman for the mainly Sunni Arab Accordance Front bloc told Reuters........."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7331972.stm

Meanwhile Blackwater haven't been saying anything. Their spokesperson Anne Tyrrell, had no comment on the contract renewal to the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/world/middleeast/05bl...paper

Here's the indymedia ireland "blackwater" metasearch page - http://www.indymedia.ie/openwire?search_text=blackwater...&y=12

& yep - they really do us black helicopters. I heartily recommend absorbing this depressing news update with some twisted humour - Internet & Tech magazine "The Register" on black helicopters complete with literally dozens of photos of the things............ they're real. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/14/google_earth_co...ults/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/world/middleeast/05bl...paper