U.S. Withdraws Forces From Iraq, Prepares To Spend Near $1 Billion Hiring Private Guards

washingtonpost.com:

As the United States withdraws its combat forces from Iraq, the government is hiring more private guards to protect U.S. installations at a cost that could near $1 billion, according to the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction.

Read the whole story: washingtonpost.com

Comments

[Oortcloud]

Yeah, Noriega, Gadaffi, Saddam Hussien, Bin Laden....none of them worked out too well, did they? All received US "support" for some period of time...

[JohnTalbutt]

Do we regret arming Osama in the 1980s? Will we regret arming another religious fanatic in this decade?

[Paula Ann]

you mean erik prince?

[motoGpifupleez]

So the best way to make a buck these days is to be a christian supremacist with a private army of murderers and offer the service of muslim eradication.

[gifu]

How many college educations per gallon does that godawful GMC tank truck consume each day??

[msbeal]

Eight years of training their police and troopers and the insurgency seemed to be able to train their guys overnight. What's wrong with this picture?

Have you ever wondered what the true cost is for a gallon of gasoline. We pay $3.00 at the pump but if we throw in all the wars we've had to protect it I bet it's closer to $9.00 per gallon.

[RichPort]

Private guards... mercenaries... toMAYto... toMAHto...

[haval2]

Why not just have a bonfire of cash. The hell with them...pump that money back here. Don't want to be funding Xe or Wachenhut parties in the sandbox any more. Help Americans first.

[Paula Ann]

let the companies that are pumping the oil out of Iraq hire their own security with their quarterly billion dollar profits

[ResistanceisFutile]

A private army is a bad idea under any circumstances. If the wars do end they will be a time bomb waiting to go off.

[Chuckwheat]

See "State of Play."

[Cristancho]

Let me get this straight. US withdraws from Iraq, soldiers who stay in the military will go to Afghanistan, those who fulfilled their service contract will have no civilian jobs to go to except PMCs, and will return to Iraq. Effed up!

[freddiefreeloader]

This is one of the only few exports the U.S. has " Made in the U.S.A.."

[jws2346]

Ahh....., what happened to this country having a military. After all this jazz with the private security companies going off the rail and not being held responsible in the past these hypocrite's in charge decide to get more private military, more paid mercenaries. Kind of like the Bush tactics "we don'ts need no US military" I can fight Unconstitutional wars with mercenaries and then hide the cost., you betcha'. BRING OUR SOLDIERS HOME and let all those brave mercenaries work for the Iraqis and without US support.
Pres Obama, this is change??????????

[Oortcloud]

According to the EIA we imported 674,000 barrels of crude per day from Iraq in 2008. Iraq was the seventh largest supplier of crude imported to the US.

[audadvnc]

Typical ridiculous justifications. Private guards are troops, just paid from a different account.

[RichPort]

And far more expensive, with much fewer restrictions.