Consider this a drive-by diary. I'm heading out the door but before I left I felt I needed to post this.
From the upcoming, October 15th issue of Newsweek. Of the many stories coming out of Iraq, the rise of the private army is on the top of my scary list.
EditedI want to thank those who forwarded this story. It's major and not nearly getting the coverage it deserves. At least not yet.
The colonel was furious. "Can you believe it? They actually drew their weapons on U.S. soldiers." He was describing a 2006 car accident, in which an SUV full of Blackwater operatives had crashed into a U.S. Army Humvee on a street in Baghdad's Green Zone. The colonel, who was involved in a follow-up investigation and spoke on the condition he not be named, said the Blackwater guards disarmed the U.S. Army soldiers and made them lie on the ground at gunpoint until they could disentangle the SUV. His account was confirmed by the head of another private security company. Asked to address this and other allegations in this story, Blackwater spokesperson Anne Tyrrell said, "This type of gossip has led to many soap operas in the press."
It's worth reading the entire article. It's not long, not nearly in depth as I wish it had been, but it will hopefully show just how little faith and respect the government hired contractors have in and for the US military.
Newsweek