Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Pakistan: U.S. Embassy Security and The Continued Backstabbing By Pakistan
U.S. Embassy spokesman Rick Snelsire said the U.S. contract with Inter-Risk to provide security at the embassy and consulates took effect this year. It is believed to be the first U.S. contract for the firm, said Snelsire, who did not have a figure for its amount.
“Our understanding is they obtained licenses with whatever they brought into the country to meet the contractual needs,” he said. “We told the government that we had a contract with Inter-Risk.”
Akram said he had no idea about any U.S. links to Inter-Risk.
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Oh really? Akram, or the police chief, had no clue about this contract? So you are saying that the government, intelligence services, police and your hyperactive media and blogosphere had ‘no idea’ that the US was contracted with Inter-Risk to provide security at the embassy? Pffft. I sincerely doubt that claim Mr Akram, and this stinks. This smells of politics and more of the same Pakistani back stabbing crap that we have all become so used too. Are you folks not aware of the fact that your country is at war, and in your backyard is a ‘rabid pit bull’ that has killed and continues to kill in your country and in Afghanistan? Wake up and smell the tea.
Bottom line, we have given billions of dollars to Pakistan in this war, and Pakistan could care less about our security there. We have an embassy there, and because there is an active war going on in Pakistan, our folks require security. That is a basic fundamental right of any human being on this planet, and yet this is how we are treated?
I look at these latest actions against the Pakistani owned security company called Inter-risk, and the views of a few in regards to the embassy, and it pisses me off. Pakistan takes our money to fight this war against extremists, and for the most part, funnels that money into military hardware to defend against India. Yet this is how you treat us? And Inter-risk is Pakistani owned, so our money is going into the pockets of a Pakistani for the security of our embassy there? Talk about a slap in the face?
Furthermore, Pakistan is not doing enough to eliminate the Taliban and Islamic extremists in their country. That is painfully obvious, regardless of what anyone thinks about the latest actions in the Swat Valley. The Taliban and company are much stronger elsewhere. I posted that photo below, because to me, that symbolizes the complete worthlessness of Pakistan in this war. I would say that our blood loss in Afghanistan is another prime example of Pakistan’s pathetic action in this war.
The enemy is in your backyard, and you are just allowing him to hang out. Meanwhile, that enemy is killing our troops and Afghan civilians, selling opium to fund their war and extorting villages for security–Mafioso style, all with the idea of spreading some twisted and archaic version of Islam throughout the region. And why do we continue to give Pakistan all this money? Oh, that’s right, Pakistan has nukes……(shaking my head) –Matt
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Taliban Posing with a Captured Humvee in Pakistan.
Pakistan police raid US-contracted security firm
By MUNIR AHMAD and NAHAL TOOSI
ISLAMABAD — Pakistani police raided a local security firm that helps protect the U.S. Embassy on Saturday, seizing dozens of allegedly unlicensed weapons at a time when unusually intense media scrutiny of America’s use of private contractors has deepened anti-U.S. sentiment.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Industry Talk: Interview With AGNA Whistleblower John Gorman and How Congress Did Nothing About This in 2007!
This is crap. How is it that all of these politicians, to include key politicians currently on the wartime commission, knew exactly what happened in Kabul with this contract, and are now showing shock and dismay about it–two years later! This little tidbit of info, made the hearings that were on CSPAN the other day seem like a joke now.
That is great you guys are trying to get down to the bottom of it now, but where was your outrage when this was first going on? Are you saying that it took pictures of a frat-style party, to awaken your inner responsibilities as leaders? And what committee is going to put these politicians on a stand, and ask them why they didn’t do anything about this in 2007? Especially Shays. (I am still shaking my head on that one, as I remember watching Shays go off on Samuel during the hearing)
Here at FJ, we have put blame on AGNA and State, but when Congress knew about this as well and did nothing about it at the time, then they are just as bad in my book. The buck stops in DC, and this is certainly a prime example of poor leadership.
Also check out the story below this interview. Samuel Brinkley, VP of Wackenhut and in charge of this contract, could be in some trouble. He swore up and down during the hearings that he just found out about this stuff in August of this year, and according to Gorman, he knew about it in July of 2008. Interesting.
Semper Fi John and Marie Anne, and good job! –Matt
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Interview with ArmorGroup Whistleblower John Gorman
John Gorman — Marine, Patriot, Whistleblower
By Marie Anne St. Jean
John Gorman, retired U.S. Marine, was hired by ArmorGroup (AGNA) in 2007 to support security at the American Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Numerous reports of AGNA activities are available elsewhere in the media, as well as my own articles here and here. John has previously provided a written press release as well as televised interviews with major networks, as seen here. With this interview, I’m allowing John Gorman to tell his story, what he believes needs to be said.
John, you and I go back several years. I remember how excited you were when hired by ArmorGroup to be the Camp Commandant in Kabul, to have this opportunity to once again serve your country. We never really hang up our uniforms, do we?
When you first reported AGNA’s shortfalls in 2007, what was your expected outcome? What do you think should have happened that didn’t?
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Law Enforcement: Why Can’t the FBI Identify the .30-Caliber Bullets From the Nisour Square Incident?
The FBI lab reports, obtained by the Associated Press from someone not involved in the criminal case, allow for both possibilities.
Investigators recovered .30-caliber bullets from a survivor, a Blackwater truck, and around Baghdad’s Nisoor Square. Scientists could not determine whether those bullets came from .30-caliber Blackwater machine guns.
The AK-47 rifles favored by many Iraqi insurgents also fire .30-caliber bullets.
*****
This story is a little old, but I wanted to bring it up again because I would like some clarity on the issue from any law enforcement folks or even the FBI. How the hell does a FBI lab not know what kind of bullet was used? Ballistics forensics is a science, and there are numerous ways to tell what kind of bullets these are, and what kind of rifle they came from. And it looks like they had plenty of sources for those bullets, so what gives?
It is also important to note that DoS required that all weapons used by Blackwater, were strictly regulated by DoS. That means weapons used by BW fired either the 5.56 mm or the NATO 7.62 x 51 bullets. Using weapons that fire the Russian 7.62 x 39 or 7.62 x 54 round was prohibited, and those are the rounds used in insurgent weapons like the AK-47, Dragunov sniper rifle or PKM machine gun.
Maritime Security: Spanish Tuna Boats to Hire Private Security
Excellent news, and my hats off to the government of Spain in recognizing the fact that security for it’s fishing vessels requires more than just bad language or hoses and deck chairs.
The right to defend yourself in international waters is something I support. When up against pirates armed with RPG’s, AK 47’s and PKM’s, it is totally reasonable for a vessel to contract the services of armed men to defend against that. I also support posting military details on these vessels, if that vessel’s government has the resources to do that. In this case, Spain has turned to the security contracting industry to help, and we will do just that.
The alternative is to do nothing, and that is just unacceptable in my book. –Matt
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Spanish tuna boats to hire mercenaries
September 17, 2009
by Alan Harten
The Spanish government has announced that it will allow its tuna fleet of fishing vessels operating near Somalia to hire mercenaries, or as they put it “Private Security” services, to defend the fishing fleet as it goes about its business in the notoriously pirate infested waters of the Indian Ocean.