No one has accurate figures, but there are estimated to be around 180,000 'private contractors' in Iraq. Other sources put the figure at around 200,000. If those figures are anywhere near correct, that's more than the regular US forces in Iraq (currently numbered at around 160,000). The occupying powers don't like to use the word 'mercenaries' but that is exactly what these people are and changing the terminology to 'private contractors', 'civilian contractors' or, even more bizarrely 'security contractors' makes no difference at all. It's a lucrative business.

These mercenaries are involved with more than just security duties, they are often involved in intelligence gathering too and are heavily armed. Of course it's dangerous work but there are obvious advantages to using mercenaries instead of regular forces. When they get killed or injured there is less media coverage and they are not included in coalition forces casualty figures. Also, up until now, there has been little scrutiny of their behaviour which has often been as atrocious as that of the regular army.

The occupation forces depend heavily on the mercenaries so it's quite a big deal for the puppet government in Iraq to boot out Blackwater, the largest of the mercenary outfits in the country after yet another grisly incident in which eight civilians were murdered. Or at least try to boot it out. This latest incident seems to have the Bush administration a tad rattled. A full investigation has been promised and no doubt 'a few bad apples' will be chastised and America will use all its power to persuade the 'sovereign' Iraqi government of the need to keep these hired killers in the country. The threat of withholding aid money can be used to blackmail Iraq into making the 'right' decision.

The Iraqi government also wants to review the status of all private security companies [sic] operating in the country which could affect Blackwater's British counterpart, Aegis, which shares Blackwater's cavalier attitude towards Iraqi lives. Unsurprisingly, Blackwater has close links to the Bush administration. Erik Prince, the multi-millionaire founder and CEO of Blackwater is an ultra right-wing homophobic Christian fundamentalist who has contributed millions of dollars to the Republican cause. In return his company has been given no-bid contracts for 'diplomatic security' worldwide and a $73 million contract from FEMA in the wake of hurricane Katrina. In Iraq the unauthorised and over-priced contracts come straight from Halliburton.

In other words we can expect the Iraqi government to tone down its rhetoric. Meanwhile, Blackwater has other projects in the pipeline. One of them is beyond satire:

A couple of clichés spring to mind. Is this fighting fire with fire, i.e. getting a bunch of trigger-happy lunatics to teach police officers to defend students from trigger-happy lunatics, or is it putting the fox in charge of the hen house? Which ever it is, one can't help but question the wisdom of putting these people, or anyone trained by them, anywhere near a school, especially one which has already experienced one massacre.

Further Bloggage:

• Agitprop
• Chicken Yoghurt
• Craig Murray
• Bloggerheads