US repeats its Iraq errors in Afghanistan
Gulf News
Published: July 27, 2009, 23:02


It seems that the US military never learns. After the miserable disasters in employing American private security companies in Iraq to act as though they were soldiers, the military is looking for these same companies to bid for contracts to guard military camps in Afghanistan.

In Iraq the vast amount of money these companies earned, and the casual way that they operated, damaged the US-led operation and raised some significant questions about the companies' ability to follow discipline.

Blackwater security guards failed to observe normal military rules and shot a number of civilians, and a former Halliburton subsidiary overcharged by millions.

It is hard to embarrass a company like Blackwater, but some of its guilt can be imagined by the way Iraq damaged its reputation and forced it to change its name to the much more enigmatic Xe Services.

Such private companies do not operate under military training or discipline. An important aspect of any serious army is that its soldiers are trained in how to use violence, and how to control their violence.

They are well aware that most military operations in today's world happen in areas where civilians, who need to be protected and nurtured, live. This makes the military's job hard, but is an essential part of what they do.

The mercenaries who work for the private companies do not have this training or anything like this ethos.

This is why they are dangerous to employ in such sensitive arenas as Iraq or Afghanistan, where the military is present to achieve a political objective.

They are there to work with their local allies and impart both training and trust, as well as enforce security.

They are not there to make their employers billions of dollars for the US government to talk about as being part of its budget to reconstruct Iraq or Afghanistan.