When Hate Strikes

There are dangers in being seen as an occupier, or an ally of an occupier. Thus was the story in Falluja on Wednesday 3/31/04 when four contracted security forces who were American were attacked and killed by a mob. The NY Times has the article in the 4/02/04 edition, Mix of Pride and Shame Follows Killings and Mutilation by Iraqis. There is a link from that article to a photo essay of the attack and subsequent events. (Be forewarned that some of these pictures are extremely graphic.)

If the events that occured in Falluja are any indication, then the anger at the US occupation (and actions during that occupation) are very high indeed. The events that took place after the bombing of the vehicles was extreme by any standard. It is difficult to tell from the pictures just how many people were actually involved in the events following the bombing. The US news would lead us to believe that it was a large mob. However, from the pictures here, few were directly participating or celebrating. It is clear though that some of those involved were children. (I would suggest some caution on how this story is spun.)

Regardless of how many people were involved, the level of anger and hatred is clear. Unless the Blackwater personnel were expected on that route (which could be), then this was a spontaneous attack. One has to wonder what would trigger such actions. Was it the actions of the Blackwater personnel in particular, the private security forces in general, or just that they looked "American?" Even Al Jazeera is silent on what triggered this particular event. Perhaps we will never know.

4/02/04 Update According to an interview with Ghazwan Al-Mukhtar by Democracy Now! (Hotbed of Resistance: An Iraqi Discusses Fallujah Violence), two days before the attack there had been a "the American army shot many many people, women and children, on the streets, and --- in a bizarre shooting incident that was unjustified, killing many people. Fallujah has been a place where the US Army has actually used brutal force to suppress the people there, including using the F-15s, and F-16s to attack villages and place where they think the resistances are, which is unjustified to use high explosives against individuals." Also, he reports that for approximately the last month and a half hundreds of people have been detained by US forces or by these private security forces.

The individuals killed in the attack were employees of Blackwater - a US-based private security contractor. Increasingly the US Department of Defense is hiring these types of independent contractors. As James Dao notes, the US military is increasingly using corporate military services (Private U.S. Guards Take Big Risks for Right Price, NYT, 4/02/04). These employees are frequently retired Special Forces personnel. As Dao states in the article:

Though there have been private militaries since the dawn of war, the modern corporate version got its start in the 1990's after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

At that time, many nations were sharply reducing their military forces, leaving millions of soldiers without employment. Many of them went into business doing what they knew best: providing security or training others to do the same.

The proliferation of ethnic conflicts and civil wars in places like the Balkans, Haiti and Liberia provided employment for the personnel of many new companies. Business grew rapidly after the Sept. 11 attacks prompted corporate executives and government officials to bolster their security overseas.

But it was the occupation of Iraq that brought explosive growth to the young industry, security experts said. There are now dozens, perhaps hundreds of private military concerns around the world. As many as two dozen companies, employing as many as 15,000 people, are working in Iraq.

Visiting the Blackwater Home Page is interesting. Their self description states:

"Blackwater USA is comprised of five companies; Blackwater Training Center, Blackwater Target Systems, Blackwater Security Consulting, Blackwater Canine, and Blackwater Air (AWS). We have established a global presence and provide training and tactical solutions for the 21st century."

Our clients include federal law enforcement agencies, the Department of Defense, Department of State, and Department of Transportation, local and state entities from around the country, multi-national corporations, and friendly nations from all over the globe.

We customize and execute solutions for our clients to help keep them at the level of readiness required to meet today's law enforcement, homeland security, and defense challenges.

Any and all defense services supplied to foreign nationals will only be pursuant to proper authorization by the Department of State.

Come to Blackwater, where the professionals train."

Gary Jackson
President

Blackwater has a 6000 acre training facility in Moyock, North Carolina which it bills as "The most comprehensive private tactical training facility in the United States." They created the new "interactive target system" for the FBI. They design, build and sell, a number of products related to "security" and training. They boast that they even have their own city on site for a variety of training needs. In other words, Blackwater is very comprehensive and self-contained. This is interesting in a world of spin-offs and mergers ... at least it is to me.

This use of what amounts to mercenaries by the US military is troubling to me. It is somewhat coincidental that the day before the Falluja attack the article Big Pay Luring Military's Elite to Private Jobs was in the NY Times. Senior Special Forces personnel (Seals, Green Berets) are leaving their military posts (where they earn about $50,000 a year) to take positions with companies like Blackwater for $100,000 to $200,000 a year. At this price one would think that the cost to the US tax payer is much higher if the military is contracting out to "security services." Apparently the CIA is recruiting Special Forces folks as well.

These "private security forces," which in this case are essentially private armies, are not under the control of the US military. It is intimated in the DemocracyNow! interview that there may be a special resentment against such contractors. The US military is not keeping track of the number of "contractors" killed or wounded in Iraq, nor may they be paying too much attention to how they fullfill their responsibilities. In my opinion, the use of such private forces raises the possibility that the uncontrolled actions of such a private/corporate army may increase the negative perception and reaction of the population. Whether they are official military or not, their actions reflect directly on the US.

Related Articles
Fallujah Horror Points to Rising Anti-American Rage, AFP, 4/01/04.

Outsourcing the war, Arun, BBC, 4/02/04

Just in case the link to the photo essay disappears, I have recreated it with full attribution at Falluja Pictures be forewarned that some of these pictures are extremely graphic.

Posted by rowan at April 1, 2004 9:52 PM | TrackBack | [eMail this article!] |