Blood Money: The Human-Capital Equation of the U.S. Occupation of Iraq

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Blood Money:
The Human-Capital Equation of the U.S. Occupation of Iraq

by Stephen "Flint" Arthur

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The largest military presence in Iraq after the U.S. is not the contingent from the United Kingdom, rather it is the some 20-30,000 mercenaries employed by various private security firms -- the exact number is unknown. Their losses can be high, but are rarely reported because of non-disclosure agreements--but as many as 80 foreign mercenaries were killed in an eight day period in April. Is the pay worth the risk? It certainly depends on who you are. Some foreign mercenaries receive up to $1,500 a day, while an Iraqi might receive as little as $150 per month. Former British SAS commandos can expect $10,000 month, while the 700 Nepalese gurkas hired by ArmorGroup earn one tenth what white soldiers make. A low-ranking U.S. army grunt makes about $1,000 month in Iraq, about the same as a Nepalese gurka mercenary.

The U.S. has pushed for the interim Iraqi government to grant mercenaries with U.S. citizenship the same immunity to Iraqi law that U.S. military troops have -- but the mercenaries aren't accountable to the U.S. military either. Officially, the "US government assumes no responsibility for the professional ability or integrity of the persons or firms whose names appear on the list" of private security firms. The question of immunity is particularly troublesome since two of the accused torturers at Abu Ghraib prison are U.S. employees of CACI International.

The largest mercenary group is the South African/British company, Erinys. It is charged protection of oil fields and pipelines. Ahmad Chalabi, previously the Department of Defense's favorite stooge, secured Erinys the $100 million contract which employs 14,000 Iraqi troops, largely from Chalabi's militia for the Iraq National Congress.

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Mercenaries continue to find themselves at flashpoints. Blackwater USA contractors were the victims whose corpses were mutilated and hung off a bridge which triggered the increased repression of U.S. forces on Fallejuh. Blackwater also participated in the siege -- which was only resolved by turning security in the town over to Iraqi troops lead by former Baath officers. Having received additional training at Blackwater's 6,000 acre compound in North Carolina, the company has also employed and dispatched 60 former officers of the Pinochet's Chilean military. Blackwater (as well as Titan Corp) also have employed between 500-1,000 Serbian troops who have experience in Bosnia. Among it's contracts, the company won a bidless $21 million dollar contract to provide security for the boss of the U.S. occupation -- Paul Bremer.


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