'Blackwater' to protect road between Baghdad and Amman
'Blackwater' to protect road between Baghdad and Amman
Private US-based companies will attempt to restore security for the transport of oil and western diplomatic missions.
2 min read
The route is 430 kilometres long and passes through al-Anbar governorate [AFP]
Two US security companies have completed preparations for another mission to Iraq, an Iraqi military official has told al-Araby al-Jadeed. They have been tasked with securing the main international highway linking Baghdad and Amman, inorder to allow the transport of Iraqi oil via land between the two capitals to resume.
"The two security companies were also charged with securing Baghdad International Airport and providing security to diplomatic delegations and representatives of a number of western countries in Baghdad," said a ministry of defence official, who requested anonymity
.
One of the companies is Academi, formally known as Blackwater. The other is R2 or Reflex Responses, which was founded in the UAE in 2011, reportedly with the help of the former founder and chairman of Blackwater.
The route is 430 kilometres long and passes through the restive Anbar governorate. Oil transportation halted last year after a number of security incidents in Anbar. The Islamic State group (IS, formerly ISIS) has maintained control over most of the route.
Muzhir Hassan al-Malla, a member of Anbar council, told al-Araby al-Jadeed the security companies would enter Iraq on 2 January 2015, and that their presence was positive.
"The US security companies will fight IS within the area of operations according to their contract," Malla told al-Araby al-Jadeed. "These companies employ the same methods as terrorist groups. However, they have better training and advanced artillery," he added.
Malla argued that it was better to pay security companies to get a guaranteed result than wasting money on "ghost soldiers" - troops that exist only on paper, but are paid a monthly salary. The problem of "ghost soldiers" was revealed last week by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who announced there were nearly 50,000 of them registered on the national budget.
This article is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.
"The two security companies were also charged with securing Baghdad International Airport and providing security to diplomatic delegations and representatives of a number of western countries in Baghdad," said a ministry of defence official, who requested anonymity
 |
One of the companies is Academi, formally known as Blackwater. |
One of the companies is Academi, formally known as Blackwater. The other is R2 or Reflex Responses, which was founded in the UAE in 2011, reportedly with the help of the former founder and chairman of Blackwater.
The route is 430 kilometres long and passes through the restive Anbar governorate. Oil transportation halted last year after a number of security incidents in Anbar. The Islamic State group (IS, formerly ISIS) has maintained control over most of the route.
Muzhir Hassan al-Malla, a member of Anbar council, told al-Araby al-Jadeed the security companies would enter Iraq on 2 January 2015, and that their presence was positive.
"The US security companies will fight IS within the area of operations according to their contract," Malla told al-Araby al-Jadeed. "These companies employ the same methods as terrorist groups. However, they have better training and advanced artillery," he added.
Malla argued that it was better to pay security companies to get a guaranteed result than wasting money on "ghost soldiers" - troops that exist only on paper, but are paid a monthly salary. The problem of "ghost soldiers" was revealed last week by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who announced there were nearly 50,000 of them registered on the national budget.
This article is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.
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