It looks as if British mercenary Tim Spicer really is making a killing, as the by now obligatory title of this Sunday Times piece suggests:
In a significant development for the future, the UN also hired Aegis to run security for this month’s referendum and end-of-year elections. Spicer has hired nearly 200 expatriate bodyguards and 1,000 Iraqis for the task. That the security of UN staff organising Iraq’s critical elections should be put in the hands of a PSC is a highly significant development. Formerly, many UN officials equated them with mercenaries. Iraq has forced a UN change of heart. Spicer believes there is a template here for future UN-PSC co-operation in world trouble spots. (Sunday Times magazine)
The article includes some interesting details about the modus operandi of Aegis Defence Services.
Every "shooter" has to have a weapons-authorisation card. There are strict rules of engagement, akin to those enforced by the British Army. There is instant dismissal for serious breaches of discipline, such as disobeying orders, a negligent discharge of a firearm, drink, drugs, theft and bad driving.
Sounds a bit different from the approach Lt Col Spicer’s adopted when two of his soldiers murdered Peter McBride in Belfast.
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