80 former Fijian soldiers head to Iraq (Help is on the way!!!)

[rooboy]

Eighty former Fiji soldiers have left for Iraq to join a private armed security force.

They are the first of 485 former soldiers, all linked to the Fiji Peacekeeping and Action Trustee Association, who are expected to go to Iraq.

The former soldiers have been employed by a British firm to provide escorts, liaise with United Nations representatives and guard oil and power infrastructure.

Few details of the arrangement with London-based Global Risks Strategies International were released and the Fijian government has refused to comment on the deployment.

A former colonel and association member, Sakiusa Raivoce, organised the deployment of the former soldiers, many of whom recently served in UN peacekeeping operations in Lebanon.

Fiji ended its deployment in Lebanon last year after 25 years.

A paper written by Raivoce for government security officials said the deployment had bought relief to hundreds of experienced peacekeepers who were now unemployed.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s946431.htm

[Divernan]

1. Coalition of the privately paid?

Bush can spin by hiring a couple of mercenaries each from many countries and then talk about how many countries have joined the US in Iraq.

[BJ]

2. Say, didn't private army security forces used to be called...

...MERCENARIES?

Just asking?

[GreenArrow]

8. In this country

we used to call them Hessians.

[graham67]

3. Yeah!

80!! Count 'em, 80! It'll make all the difference, no doubt about it. Can you say "turning point"? /sarcasm

[Capt_Nemo]

4. Impressive!

[bfusco]

5. Mercenaries

Yes mercanries from the colation of the bribed.

[rooboy]

6. I can just imagine dubya saying...

"heck, if we can get the Fijians to throw in another couple of soldiers, we'll have enough to replace those 82 airborne guys we have over there!!"

[Francis]

7. It's better than that

they already sent 4 last week !!

[E_Zapata]

13. you made me laugh.

I need to -- to keep from crying.

:-)

[wtmusic]

9. Just put it on the bill...

[Wednesdays]

10. Wow...add those 80 to the two-dozen Poles and the 30 or so Slovakians,

and you've got a force to be reckoned with!

[GregW]

11. Bula Vinaka, Sadaam!

:eyes:

[E_Zapata]

12. golly gee - so good that we could find a few jobs for a few.

I feel warm all over.

[beanball]

14. Troops for Iraq

why not hire the KKK,David Duke could be their commander,uniforms want cost much(pale sheets)and we could rid ourselves of some of the hate merchants.

[central scrutinizer]

15. were they involved in the recent coup?

There was a coup in Fiji about three years ago that overthrew a democratically elected government and shattered the economy, so these guys should have relevant experience.

[Mal]

17. Trust me,

In that little arc of islands "democratically elected" can assume... uh... novel meaning. Sort of like the governments the US normally supports, come to think of it...

[Zero Gravitas]

18. Attempted Coup

There was an attempted coup, but it did not fully succeed. The coup leader, failed businessman George W. Speight* is serving a life sentance. The Fijians have often taken part in UN peace-keeping efforts (including UNFIL, it was a Fijian military compound in Qana that was shelled in 1996 by the Israelis killing 100 refugees and 4 Fijian soldiers). Their military is well trained and Fiji is paid to provide the troops.

* I made the "W." bit up

[JackDragna]

16. OH, that's IT!

The Fijans are coming. Iraq is really screwed now. Nothing's nastier than a group of Fijans out to stamp out terra. Saddam, boy, your days are numbered.

[pfitz59]

19. War clubs and shark-toothed swords.

Vijay Singh will be giving golf lessons at Baghdad Country Club!