Private commandos shoot back on the Iraq firing line

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Ex-military commandos armed with M4 rifles are fighting insurgents in Iraq (news - web sites) as part of a private contracting force, many of them hired by the US-led coalition, raising some deep concerns.

About 15,000 personnel from private military firms (PMFs) were operating in Iraq, making them more numerous that even the biggest US ally, Britain, estimated Peter Singer, author of "Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry."

At least 30 to 50 had been killed in action, he wrote in a report for the Internet news magazine Salon.com.

Among the companies, Singer said, Erinys was charged with guarding Iraqi oil fields, while Northrop Grumman subsidiary Vinnell, MPRI and Nour USA had been training and equipping the new Iraq army.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040418/wl_afp/iraq_us_companies&cid=1512&ncid=1473

fit into the rules of war-The Geneva Conventions? Are they spies? Illegal Combatants? Are they legal warriors? Are they French Foreign Legion types? Could they be held in Gitmo type places? Does anybody care?

180

according to an NPR piece I heard last week. The only thing they are subject to are the laws of the country in which they are assigned-but if that country is in chaos, like Iraq, then they can basically do what they want and get away with it (unless someone from the other side kills them).

,...to pour the taxpayer dough into these "bad boys".

It's not a "Republican" agenda,...it's an extreme right-wing endeavor. The poor Republicans really do not even know what has hit them. I know, I live with them,...and they are spinning and confused.

that they have to follow. They are defensive forces only. They can fire only if fired upon, and do not conduct offensive operations, where they go out looking for the enemy.

Same deal as with armed security in the US...

They are modern day Rambos strutting around with A-4's and L. L. Bean costumes. They are responsible to no one and accountable to no one.

They are in Iraq for one purpose and one purpose only, to hold the Amerikan body count down.

That anyone is actually enforcing their rules of engagement over there.

I somehow think more is involved. :shrug: I remember the Montonyards from Vietnam.

They *might* get fired if they broke these "rules of engagement". I don't think so, though.

One of the reasons that using these people is bad news is because they cannot really be held accountable for their actions, unlike U.S. soldiers.

Actually the other side lately has broken out the ropes and the barbecue equipment

To kill as many as possible regardless if they are women and kids?

http://www.armorgroup.com /

Security Companies Doing Business in Iraq

http://travel.state.gov/iraq_securitycompanies.html

Can you document?

This is the list. I'm sure there's some evidence some where.

http://travel.state.gov/iraq_securitycompanies.html

GSG 9, I believe, belongs to the german government... they are a counter-terrorism unit created specifically for that purpose (and are a subdivision of some other special forces?)

edit: ahh, here we go:

Created in 1973, Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (which translates to "Border Control Group 9") is a special unit of the Bundesgrenzschutz ("Federal Border Police") or BGS.

This is an international list.

The GSG9 is Germany's supreme police unit. It is a federal SWAT unit, specialised on freeing ´hostages (for example the hijacked Lufthansa plane in 1977), hunting (rumors say killing ) terrorists and doing other stuff like that.
Unlike the military Special Forces, the KSK, they are not a military unit.

Their job in Iraq is guarding the German Embassy and it's personell.

Edit:
@seemslikeadream:
I object to listing them under "putting our soldier's lifes at risk" - this neither true, nor is there another option.
Unless you want US soldiers risking their lifes guarding foreign embassies in Iraq, there is no option but to let the embassies manage their own security. The GSG9 are no mercanaries - had the US allowed foreign embassies to use the Baghdad Airport, two officers of that unit would still be alive.

POSTED: 11:30 a.m. EDT April 12, 2004

BERLIN -- Germany is urging its citizens to leave Iraq after two German security officials were apparently ambushed.

Germany is also warning against travel to Kuwait, where it said there's also a "high security risk."
German relief groups said six Germans who had been in Iraq working on projects pulled out over the weekend.

Some 60 Germans are thought to be in Iraq, mostly journalists or people married to Iraqis and living permanently in the country.

Germany has no troops in Iraq.

The two security agents for the German Embassy in Baghdad -- who have been missing for several days -- are most likely dead.

The German foreign ministry said the men -- 25 and 38 -- were driving from Jordan to Iraq's capital Wednesday when they were ambushed near Fallujah.

The foreign ministry said based on currently intelligence, it's "highly probable" they're dead, but final confirmation hasn't been received yet. The ministry also said there's no evidence the two men have been kidnapped.

Other vehicles in the convoy made it to the embassy on Thursday after coming under fire.


The men were agents of an elite German police unit. Unit members were sent to Iraq to help protect the embassy and German workers who are trying to restore water supplies.
http://www.click2houston.com/news/2995964/detail.html

Germany Training Iraqi Police Officers

Title: Germany Training Iraqi Police Officers
Source: German Embassy, Washington
Source-URL: http://www.germany-info.org
Document-URL: http://www.germany-info.org/relaunch/politics/new/pol_iraq_police.html
Date: 2004-04-06
Type of Document: Official Resources

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Contributing to the reconstruction efforts in Iraq, Germany started a police training program on March 20, 2004. A first group of about 230 Iraqi police officers began their courses with 8 German police instructors. The training is being conducted in the Police Academy of Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates.

Two groups of police investigators are receiving a comprehensive state-of–the-art training in forensic methods. In addition to introductory courses of 4 weeks for newly recruited police, more experienced investigators are being trained in advanced forensic techniques in a 6-week course. After completion of the courses in May, the Iraqi police officers will work as criminal investigators and detectives. Germany and the United Arab Emirates plan to train at least another 500 Iraqi police officers this year, and more than 2.000 over the coming 2 years.

Under Saddam Hussein, Iraqi police relied heavily on coercive methods, like intimidation and torture, to investigate crimes. The training in forensic methods and techniques, therefore, is part of a plan to build a new Iraqi police which conducts its work effectively and in accordance with the rule of law.

The German Interior Ministry is working with the Iraqi interior ministry, Coalition Provisional Authority as well as the with the responsible authorities in the United Arab Emirates in order to enable this project. The program is open for other countries´ participation.

German police can draw on a rich experience of working in post-conflict environments. Germany has been instrumental in re-establishing the Police Academy in Kabul where 16 German police officers are training Afghan police officers and has provided funding and equipment for the Afghan police forces. Since the mid-nineties, German police officers were deployed in various peacekeeing missions and are today participating in ongoing missions like the European Police Mission (EUPM) in Bosnia-Hercegovina or in the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

April 6, 2004
http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:3uHcD6uptC4J:www.deutsche-aussenpolitik.de/daparchive/anzeige.php%3Fzaehler%3D2963+foreign+police+german+iraq&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Aktion Deutschland Hilft, the umbrella organization for German humanitarian aid groups, said the six Germans who had been in Iraq working on projects pulled out over the weekend, with the final two reaching Amman, Jordan, on Monday.

Two security agents for the German Embassy in Baghdad have been missing for several days are most likely dead, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

The men, identified in media reports as Tobias R., 25, and Thomas H., 38, are both members of the elite GSG-9 unit of the German Federal Border Police. They were traveling from Amman to Baghdad Wednesday and were ambushed near Fallujah, according to the ministry.

Some 60 Germans are thought to be in Iraq, largely journalists or people married to Iraqis and living permanently in the country.

Germany has no troops in Iraq.

http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:_8xRd8yTQzQJ:news.bostonherald.com/international/view.bg%3Farticleid%3D1584%26format%3D+foreign+police+german+iraq&hl=en&ie=UTF-8



-----------
If we could talk about this. I believe the occupation of Iraq is illegal. What do you consider these agents to be, casualties of war, prisoners of war, just missing German police, if they are being held are they hostages? Who would negotiate for them. I'd like to discuss it. Just added a couple of things below to show they are not without fault in some areas. Should foreign police be in Iraq? Should they be training Iraqi police?





Federal Police Agencies
Established in 1951, the Federal Border Force (Bundesgrenzschutz--BGS) was the first federal police organization permitted by the Allied occupation authorities. During the early 1950s, there were frequent incidents on the borders with East Germany and Czechoslovakia, and the occupation authorities became convinced of the need for a competent border police. Even though the BGS is organized along paramilitary lines, that is, in battalions, companies, and platoons, and is armed as light infantry, it rema ins a police force controlled by the Ministry of Interior rather than by the Ministry of Defense. The strength of the BGS was 24,000 in early 1995. The BGS is equipped with armored cars, machine guns, automatic rifles, tear gas, hand grenades, rifle grena des, and antitank weapons. All personnel on border duty wear sidearms. Some units have light aircraft and helicopters to facilitate rapid access to remote border areas and for patrol and rescue missions. A coast guard force (Bundesgrenzschutz-See) of appr oximately 550 members forms a part of the BGS. It is equipped with fourteen large patrol craft and several helicopters.

In addition to controlling Germany's border, the BGS serves as a federal reserve force to deal with major disturbances and other emergencies beyond the scope of Land police. The BGS guards airports and foreign embassies, and several highly trained detachments are available for special crisis situations requiring demolition equipment, helicopters, or combat vehicles. After shortcomings in police procedures and trainin g were revealed by the terrorist attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics, a BGS task force known as Special Group 9 (BGS-9) was formed to deal with terrorist incidents, especially hostage situations. The BGS-9 won world attention when it rescued e ighty-six passengers on a Lufthansa airliner hijacked to Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1977.

http://reference.allrefer.com/country-guide-study/germany/germany168.html

Berlin Postcard

By the Spectator's foreign editor.

Sample:

"You are leaving the civilised sector. These words were pinned, in German and English, to the outside of the fence which protects the American embassy in Berlin. In order to get through that fence, you would have to persuade the gallant, bone-headed men of the Bundesgrenzschutz — Germany’s frontier police, who also guard government buildings — that you are not intent on blowing up the Americans. Meanwhile you can take the chance to study the messages left by German peace protesters, of which the general drift is that George Bush is a mass murderer."

http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:QpPbI0yZfIUJ:www.belgraviadispatch.blogspot.com/2003_05_04_belgraviadispatch_archive.html++Iraq+Bundesgrenzschutz&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

February, the Public Prosecutor's Office in Frankfurt/Main brought charges against three officers of the special police force (Bundesgrenzschutz) for having killed a Sudanese deportee in May 1999. The African man was being deported by plane to Khartoum when he died. Tied to his seat and wearing a helmet, he suffocated during take-off when his head was pushed against his breast by the accompanying officers to calm him down.11• In May, a 31-year-old man died in hospital in Cologne after having been ill-treated by six police officers. Upon his arrest on 11 May, he had put up a strong resistance. While being transported and while in the police station he was kicked and beaten. He fell into coma on his way to hospital and died two weeks later of severe brain injuries. The police officers responsible were suspended from office and investigations were pending at the time of writing.

http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:mPdIsvVvi_kJ:www.ihf-hr.org/viewbinary/viewdocument.php%3Fdoc_id%3D1965++Iraq+Bundesgrenzschutz&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Based on these experiences, which had a profound effect on popular consciousness, the discussion on the rearmament of the Federal Republic in the ’50s revolved around definite limits governing the use of the army. The German army could only be mobilised for defensive purposes against an external foe and was never to be employed against the German people. There had already been vigorous opposition to the establishment of a paramilitary-type federal border police force ( Bundesgrenzschutz).


A lively demonstration of 1500 according to the organizers took place on the triangular border between Germany, Switzerland, and France on June 15th despite sweltering weather. The march stopped at some key points in the three countries, including the German Border Guards (Bundesgrenzschutz) office and a Swiss detention center near Basel, where would-be immigrants are detained for indefinite periods under conditions they describe as "very bad" (see video).




Getting back to my title, though, an interesting sidelight on the whole story has emerged in various German-language papers. Almost all major German news sources have been reporting first that two "mysterious" aircraft arrived from Georgia at Baden-Baden Airport today, carrying various passengers including Eduard Shevardnadze. That in itself would not be surprising - Germany is the Western state most committed to Eastern Europe, and has close economic and diplomatic connections to Georgia, as well as a degree of historic interest going back to the First World War and to various romantic historians of the 1840s - if it wasn't for the fact that the Federal Border Patrol (Bundesgrenzschutz) office in Weil am Rhein, responsible for Baden-Baden, has just categorically denied that Shevardnadze was one of the passengers. His family have meanwhile declared that he is at home in Tiflis. Who's lying? Cunning he may be, but being in two places at once is a rare accomplishment.
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:G3gok3Wlc5oJ:yorkshire-ranter.blogspot.com/2003_11_01_yorkshire-ranter_archive.html+bundesgrenzschutz+break+laws&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

The fact is that if there were no contracts these companies would not be there - I know you know that, but let's' not forget the Bush*, Cheney, Rumsfeld, PNAC vision that makes this all possible.

Here's a statement concerning that issue from the yahoo article:

"We must take into consideration that this war brings billions of dollars in profit to the major companies, whether it be those that produce weapons or those that contribute to reconstruction, such as the Halliburton Company, its sisters and daughters," the statement said, according to the BBC Caversham monitoring service.

"Based on this, it is very clear who is the one benefiting from igniting this war and from the shedding of blood. It is the warlords, the bloodsuckers, who are steering the world policy from behind a curtain."

Author: Osama bin Laden

:mad:

these are privately held companies? Carlyle Group wouldn't be involved in any way, right?

thanks for the reminder. I'm taking suggestions.

Carlyle has more than 300 corporate and real estate investments in our global portfolio. Selected current and realized (former) investments can be reviewed by fund, industry, and geography.

http://www.thecarlylegroup.com/eng/portfolio/index.html

Were those BLACK HELICOPTERS in that one ad? Are WE, the taxpayers, picking up the tab for these guys? I'm not condoning the murder of anyone... no way. But you have to admit, they Iraqis do have a point in being very, very angry at what is happening to them over there. We are getting a taste of a Carlyle, Halliburton style war.. a Bush style war... and it's brutal and illegal and bloody. Corporate imperialism and colonialism is always that way. We need to get out..

Scared? Get ready to puke.

http://csakuwait.com

SMI International (formerly Space Mark, Inc.) is a professional services company with 15 years of experience in Department of Defense logistics systems, telecommunications, multimedia training, airfield operations, facilities maintenance, and environmental services. SMI is 100% owned by the Aleut Corporation, an Alaskan native corporation, and is a certified minority business enterprise. They also provide general MILES/TES maintenance and manage the Army’s Garrison Training Support Centers at Forts Richardson, Wainwright, and Greely. They are one of the Air Forces’ largest standard base supply systems contractors and were the recipient of “Best in the Air Force” total quality award. SMI International is ISO 9001 certified. For more information visit us at www.smiintl.com.

.
.
.

If it wasn't so sick, it would be laughable.

And the World image of the USA continues it's downward spiral.

What is power without respect?

NADA.

...in armed conflict. Please correct me if I am wrong here. I've been trying to think how these self appointed, non-uniformed, non-command structured combatants are anything but illegal combatants.

...as "contractors" but I don't think that authorizes anyone to engage in combat. Once you start killing people, if your not part of a standing army or militia of some sort, you're little more than a criminal (although technically you could claim self defense). One could take the position that they are authorized or licensed by the host government, but the license to kill stuff is kinda hokey. If they have sofa status they wouldn't be subject to Iraqi law (what little there is) and there is no United States jurisdiction, so these guys are in the Black Hole, like the compound at Gitmo. They can do whatever they want. Now that I think about it, self defense doesn't really make sense as a legal defense. Let's see, I had to travel 5000 miles to come here and carry this machine gun to defend myself.

Why place yourself in that position?

Let's see we want their militias to disarm but we have private covert forces, not subject to any law or any command, running around with machine guns doing whatever they want. I could see how an occupied country might resent this. Now that I think about it, it is totally counterproductive and unprofessional on the part of our government to allow it. The purpose of a uniformed force subject to strict discipline and ready identification as American Armed Forces is to inspire respect for our presence. The presence of unofficial private forces implies a lawlessness and lack of accountability which should be avoided by professional armed forces. Finally, if you are a contractor and you need scores of bodyguards to do your work, guess what?- you are in the wrong place to do business.

Although a status of forces agreement implies it was negotiated between equals (Ie: 2 governments)

What we would have here is Chalabi signing a SOFA agreement on the part of the Iraqi Govt, whatever that is.

Mercenaries will be tolerated here. The BFEE needs them.

...but they shouldn't be. They are a sign of corruption or political processes.

They are tools of the corrupt ruling elite.

Start-up Company With Connections

U.S. gives $400M in work to contractor with ties to Pentagon favorite on Iraqi Governing Council

By Knut Royce

February 15, 2004: (Newsday) Washington - U.S. authorities in Iraq have awarded more than $400 million in contracts to a start-up company that has extensive family and, according to court documents, business ties to Ahmed Chalabi, the Pentagon favorite on the Iraqi Governing Council.



Soon after this security contract was issued, the company started recruiting many of its guards from the ranks of Chalabi's former militia, the Iraqi Free Forces, raising allegations from other Iraqi officials that he was creating a private army.

Chalabi, 59, scion of one of Iraq's most politically powerful and wealthy families until the monarchy was toppled in 1958, had been living in exile in London when the U.S. invaded Iraq. The chief architect of the umbrella organization for the resistance, the Iraqi National Congress, Chalabi is viewed by many Iraqis as America's hand-picked choice to rule Iraq.

A key beneficiary of both the oil security contract and last week's Iraq army procurement contract is Nour USA Ltd., which was incorporated in the United States last May. The security contract technically was awarded to Erinys Iraq, a security company also newly formed after the invasion, but bankrolled at its inception by Nour. A Nour's founder was a Chalabi friend and business associate, Abul Huda Farouki. Within days of the award last August, Nour became a joint venture partner with Erinys and the contract was amended to include Nour.

An industry source familiar with some of the internal affairs of both companies said Chalabi received a $2-million fee for helping arrange the contract. Chalabi, in a brief interview with Newsday, denied that claim, as did a top company official. Chalabi also denied that he has had anything to do with the security firm.



Erinys Iraq came into being last May, after the U.S.-led invasion. Saboteurs had started blowing up oil pipelines and attacking other petroleum facilities, plunging Baghdad and other Iraqi cities into darkness. Blackouts and fuel shortages remain endemic.

The authority solicited bids on the pipeline security contract in July. Just two weeks later, the contract was awarded to Erinys Iraq.

A founding partner and director of Erinys Iraq is Faisal Daghistani, the son of Tamara Daghistani, for years one of Chalabi's most trusted confidants. She was a key player in the creation of his exile group, the Iraqi National Congress, which received millions of dollars in U.S. funds to help destabilize the Saddam Hussein regime before the coalition invasion last year.

The firm's counsel in Baghdad is Chalabi's nephew Salem Chalabi.

The seed money to start Erinys came from Nour, formed in May in the United States, according to David Braus, Nour's managing director.


http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5731.htm





While the company does not appear in international business directories and is only a year old, its website names five managers and directors, but does not identify its ownership structure: most of whom have been affiliated with Armor Holdings, a Florida-based security company and Defence Systems Limited, a British company which merged with Armor in 1997.

A former British Special Air Services (SAS) officer, director Alastair Morrison was co-founder and CEO of Defence Systems from 1981 to 1999. Morrison is currently affiliated with Armor Holdings, in which he holds $2.1 million worth of stock. Fraser Brown, who directs Erinys' security operations, has worked for DSL/Armor since 1999. Jonathan Garratt, Erinys' managing director, has worked for DSL and Armor since 1992. The two other Erinys officials named on the website have no apparent ties to either company: Sean Cleary is a South African risk management expert while Bill Elder previously worked as Bechtel's corporate security manager.


http://www.corpwatch.org/issues/PID.jsp?articleid=8328

Just like Hamas, PA, PLO etc?

Campaign Contributions of Post-War Contractors (MERCENARIES)
http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/resources.aspx?act=contrib

Post-War Contractors (MERCENARIES) Ranked by Total Contract Value in Iraq and Afghanistan
http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/resources.aspx?act=total

I would not be surprised if most of them were.

No doubt.

So just go ahead and keep throwing money down the drain!!!