Secretary of State Powell made a
clear statement of administration policy on private armies in Afghanistan today.
"There is no place in the new Afghanistan for private armies or sectarian violence," Powell said in a statement distributed to reporters traveling with him before his departure for Brussels.
But, the story is a little different in Iraq where 10,000 non-Iraqi mercenaries are employed, mostly in the service of the Coalition Provisional Authority and its allies.
It was unclear why the American contractors were traveling unescorted in such a dangerous area. The four worked for Blackwater Security Consulting of Moyock, N.C., which provides training and guard services to customers around the world.
The firm is a government subcontractor providing security for the delivery of food in the Fallujah area. It is also a subsidiary of Blackwater USA, whose range of paramilitary services include providing firearms and small-groups training facilities for Navy SEALs, police department SWAT teams and former special operations personnel.
Iraq's administrator, L. Paul Bremer, condemned the killings as well as the combat deaths of five American soldiers on the same day, and said "their deaths will not go unpunished."
When people mess with our mercenaries in Iraq, the message is one of unconditional support.