I have no clue what company these guys were working for, but stuff like this burns me up. The US has had plenty of time to plan for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, and prepare the legal battlefield for security contractors and others. These folks must have legal protections or some kind of an agreement established with Iraq so that these contractors can perform the service they were hired to do.
The other thing that bothers me with this is that two of these contractors were Americans. Yet again, why isn’t the DoS fighting tooth and nail to get every reasonable protection and agreement they can with Iraq so that US citizens at the least are treated fairly and with dignity. I mean someone should be reminding Iraq about how much blood and treasure the US has expended in this whole thing. Or remind them that we did not take their oil and other treasures, like most armies would have done in the past. (yep, I went there….)
The partners of US contractors deserve to be treated fairly and with dignity as well. The Fijians have certainly lost contractors in this war doing extremely dangerous missions all over Iraq. Missions that helped support efforts to rebuild Iraq and helped to encourage peace and stability there. There are and will be other contractors from other parts of the world who are supporting the mission to rebuild post war Iraq, and to treat them with disrespect is not right.
Either way, I think most contractors in Iraq have the feeling that regardless of whatever laws or agreements that are passed or lack there of, Iraq will do whatever they want. So I expect to see more of this kind of thing over the next year or couple of years. And contractors will do in Iraq, like they normally do in all countries where there is no SOFA, or has a corrupt/weak legal system. They will accomplish the task as best they can, and take huge risks in the process. I am sure money will be thrown all over the place in order to buy off a police officer or ministry official, or free a contractor from detention, or whatever. That is how these things work…. –Matt
NY Rep. King: Iraq releases 3 security contractors
December 27, 2011
A U.S. congressman from New York says three security contractors, including two Americans, have been released by Iraqi Army forces after they were held for more than two weeks.
Republican Peter King announced the releases of the men Tuesday. He identifies them as an Army veteran from Long Island, a former National Guardsman from Savannah, Ga., and a man from Fiji. He says they were working for a security firm when Iraqi Ministry of Defense officials rejected paperwork prepared on their behalf by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and held them Dec. 9.
The men weren’t charged with any crimes. King says they were released Tuesday after efforts by his office, the State Department, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, the Defense Department and the White House.
Story here.