7 Afghans dead in ambush on mine clearing workers

[daleo]

Source: CBC

Seven people were killed Saturday in western Afghanistan in an attack on Afghan employees of an American landmine clearing company. Police believe the Taliban are behind the attack.

Afghan police said the Taliban ambushed a group of mine removers and their armed guards who were working for Ronco Consulting Corp., based in Washington D.C., in a populated area of the western province of Farah. The ambush injured four people.



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/04/07/taliban-ambush.html

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Ronco? Didn't they used to do cheap kitchen gadget TV commercials?

[madrchsod]

1. these are the good guys

http://www.roncoconsulting.com/
RONCO Consulting Corp. - Humanitarian Demining

they could`t pay me enough money to work clearing mine fields

[daleo]

2. It could be they are good guys, but you might get some argument

It looks like they are pretty tight with the Pentagon, and are involved in a lot of "security operations". They are quite diversified, really.

They are also a member of this:

Private Security Company Association of Iraq

PSCAI is a non-profit organization formed and maintained to discuss and address matters of mutual interest and concern to the industry conducting operations in Iraq. The PSCAI seeks to work closely with the Iraqi Government and foster a relationship of trust and understanding.

RONCO began security operations in Iraq in 2004, and joined PSCAI in April 2006.

Some other things they do:

Convoy Escort
RONCO currently provides convoy escort services in Iraq and Afghanistan to safeguard movement of both client and RONCO equipment and personnel. In Iraq, we are providing secure escorts from the Kuwait border to Baghdad, from the Jordan border to Baghdad, and from the Turkish border to Baghdad. In Afghanistan, we are safeguarding client and RONCO personnel involved in DOD and UN-sponsored economic development and humanitarian mine action initiatives in Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, and Bagram. As required, RONCO provides vehicles (both armored and unarmored), guard personnel, along with trained drivers and interpreters, and redundant communications systems for intra-convoy and long-range communications.

Personal Security Details
Personal security details (PSD) in Afghanistan and Iraq present a particularly difficult task, given the constant threat of ambushes, use of improvised explosive devices, and general insecurity in remote areas. In these tasks, RONCO provides selective close protection services for personnel, such as U.S. government officials, employees of private companies, and other individuals handling high-value materials, as they move throughout Afghanistan and Iraq.

Support and Analysis
RONCO has the extensive knowledge and capability to conduct incisive analyses of policies, procedures, and requirements as they relate to client security needs. RONCO has, either as direct employees, consultants, or partners a large number of senior and mid-level personnel with extensive experience in, among other skills, anti-terrorism and special operations; intelligence collection, analysis and distribution; risk audits and surveys; specialized investigations; etc.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom, RONCO supported the U.S. Department of Defense by providing expert policy, and technical and operational advice in support of U.S. Government post-conflict operations. RONCO subsequently provided the Department of Defense with dedicated support to the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Baghdad. In carrying out these tasks, the RONCO team, in close coordination with CENTCOM and CJTF-7, provided CPA authorities with a roadmap for disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) of Iraqi military forces, as well as recommendations on required resources, timelines, concepts, and policies required for post-conflict recovery and reconstruction in Iraq.