The Green Ribbon

Mercenaries: Getting Away With Murder

War on Want has released a new briefing on mercenaries today to coincide with the annual conference of the British Association of Private Security Companies.

Ruth Tanner, senior campaigns officer at War on Want, said: “Mounting
human rights abuses by mercenary firms making a killing in Iraq are
fuelling demands for legislation. But while the US and Iraqi
governments move towards controls, UK ministers fail to take action. It
is high time foreign secretary David Miliband followed suit with strong
measures to curb these private armies.” (press release)

Incidentally, for those on Facebook the group Stop Aegis and Blackwater security firms abusing Iraqi civilians is worth a look.

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TomGriffin

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2 responses to “Mercenaries: Getting Away With Murder”

  1. WorldbyStorm avatar
    WorldbyStorm

    I find the subcontracting input to the Iraq War quite bizarre. To allow effectively paramilitary elements (and yes, I know that the vast majority of subcontractors aren’t paramilitary) to operate unconstrained by Iraqi law has to be one of the more despicable aspects of the conflict. Quite apart from the obvious ramification of being just about the most counterproductive way to move forward if one intends to win hearts and minds.

    Reply
  2. DougtheDug avatar
    DougtheDug

    “But while the US and Iraqi governments move towards controls…”
    Wishful thinking. The use of mercenaries in Iraq is a calculated move by the Bush administration.
    Without the mercenaries the US army would find it difficult to function and the mercenaries have become so ingrained into the structure of the US occupation in Iraq that it would be difficult to remove them.
    With mercenaries you don’t need the draft in the States which would be necessary for the Army and Marines to do it on their own in Iraq. In addition mercenary casualties don’t have to be reported and many of them are non-US nationals anyway. The US voting public only cares about US casualties.
    There is also the fact that a lot of people close to Bush and the Republicans are making a lot of money.
    You may have some window dressing about restraint and liability but the mercenaries are in it for the long haul. The US couldn’t cope in Iraq without them.

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