war contractors

US Contractors Hired Taliban Warlords, Iranian Spies

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RAW STORY– Contractors working for the Pentagon “funneled US taxpayer dollars to Afghan warlords and strongmen linked to murder, kidnapping, and bribery, as well as to Taliban and anti-coalition activities,” says a congressional report released Thursday. A year-long investigation into private contractors in Afghanistan, carried out by the Senate Armed Services Committee, found, among other things, a contractor that had … Read More

30 False Fronts Won Contracts for Blackwater

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NY TIMES– Blackwater Worldwide created a web of more than 30 shell companies or subsidiaries in part to obtain millions of dollars in American government contracts after the security company came under intense criticism for reckless conduct in Iraq, according to Congressional investigators and former Blackwater officials. While it is not clear how many of those businesses won contracts, at … Read More

250,000 “Contractors” Remain in Iraq and Afghan Wars

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REBEL REPORTS– A couple of years ago, Blackwater executive Joseph Schmitz seemed to see asilver lining for mercenary companies with the prospect of US forces being withdrawn or reduced in Iraq. “There is a scenario where we could as a government, the United States, could pull back the military footprint,” Schmitz said. “And there would then be more of a … Read More

US to Rely on Private Military Contractors in Iraq

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SYDNEY MORNING HERALD– The US State Department is to more than double the number of security contractors it employs in Iraq to around 7000, filling a gap left by departing troops, the New York Times reported on Thursday. The newspaper said the contractors would be deployed to defend five fortified compounds that will be left behind as US combat forces … Read More

Alarms Sound Over Trash Fires in War Zones

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WASHINGTON POST– Hundreds of military service members and contractor employees have fallen ill with cancer or severe breathing problems after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they say they were poisoned by thick, black smoke produced by the burning of tons of trash generated on U.S. bases. In a lawsuit in federal court in Maryland, 241 people from 42 states … Read More