Robert Fisk - Occupiers Spend Millions on Private Army of Security Men

By ROBERT FISK and SEVERIN CARRELL

March 29, 2004 "The Independent" -- An army of thousands of mercenaries has appeared in Iraq's major cities, many of them former British and American soldiers hired by the occupying Anglo-American authorities and by dozens of companies who fear for the lives of their employees.

Many of the armed Britons are former SAS soldiers and heavily armed South Africans are also working for the occupation. "My people know how to use weapons and they're all SAS," said the British leader of one security team in southern Baghdad. "But there are people running around with guns now who are just cowboys. We always conceal our weapons, but these guys think they're in a Hollywood film."

Occupiers spend millions on Private Army

much of this is paid for by government contracts directly let to the security companies or by subsidies to the insurance industry.

Soldiers are cheaper.

I bet they are sh***ing bricks after Fallujah

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