Feral Jundi

    This came from the Times Online, and I was kind of surprised they used the word ‘guard’ as opposed to ‘mercenary’ in the title.  I was even more surprised that this was an article describing how important we are to the mission in Afghanistan.  You just don’t hear that kind of language in the media, and it is refreshing to hear. It is a realist point of view, and it is definitely a respectful point of view.

    There are more contractors than soldiers in Afghanistan, and we have our deaths and injuries too.  It’s nice to hear that someone in the media actually recognizes our contribution and importance to the mission. –Matt

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Why private guards are crucial to the Afghanistan mission

April 16, 2010

Michael Evans

Western contractors, whose numbers have proliferated in Afghanistan in recent years, are as much in the front line as the military because of the constant threat of suicide bombers.

The most vulnerable among them are security guards, working for private companies such as the British ArmorGroup International. They can be seen standing sentry outside every base, every embassy, and protecting diplomats, aid officials and visiting VIPs. The operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have provided tens of thousands of jobs for former special forces soldiers and other military and law enforcement personnel.

There is also plenty of work in Afghanistan for Westerners prepared to risk their necks distributing aid and running a plethora of foreign-funded projects.

However, as last night’s bomb attack showed, the high salaries they earn are matched by the extreme risks they face. More often than not they are in the first line of fire outside a military base or sensitive facility. The death toll among the international companies operating in Afghanistan has been rising steadily. More than 150 are estimated to have died since 2006.

Their role also appears to have expanded. The Pentagon is currently investigating whether one of its senior officials had hired private contractors to hunt for al-Qaeda. It has been alleged that the official used Pentagon funds, earmarked for an information campaign, to pursue the terrorists.

The controversy has illustrated how vital the hired guns in Afghanistan — who often appear in public in ski masks and wraparound sunglasses — are to the whole campaign. They take on the roles that otherwise would have to be filled by the military.

In Iraq, private security companies became one of the most controversial aspects of the international operation because of the numbers involved, the huge fees paid by the US and other countries for their services, and the apparent lack of control over their rules of engagement.

Blackwater, a US firm headed by a former US Navy Seal, was the most controversial of them all. But even this company, while operating as a highly potent force, lost many of its employees. Six Blackwater personnel were killed in a single incident in Iraq in April 2005.

The Afghan campaign cannot survive without the contractors, but as the Kandahar attack has reminded everyone, guarding buildings and even working in the offices of a foreign compound can be a dangerous business.

Story here.