U.S. Recruits Peruvians For Security in Iraq

[Judi Lynn]

2005-10-27 19:14 KST

U.S. Recruits Peruvians For Security in Iraq

Former soldiers and policemen also hired from other Latin American countries
press reported that American company Triple Canopy, Inc. recruited and trained 218 people -- all of whom are either former soldiers or policeman -- for working in Iraq as "security personnel."

A U.S. embassy official in Lima, Robert E. Davis, acknowledged that Triple Canopy works for its government.

The training, done by local company Gun Supply on behalf of Triple Canopy, included shooting practice, explosives management and security techniques carried out in the outskirts of Lima. The training took 30 days.

The Peruvian recruits are already in Iraq.

This is not the first time that a U.S. government sponsored company hired people in Latin America to work in the Iraq war as "security personnel." The media reported recruits also came from Ecuador, Chile, Colombia and El Salvador.
(snip/...)

http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=255414&rel_no=1

[pinniped]

1. They will recruit the H1-B visa holders next.

Spread death to all, is the * legacy.

[TomClash]

2. Should be:

"U.S. Recruits Republicans for Security in Iraq"

[shadowknows69]

3. If I was a billionaire

I'd go undermine these efforts and pay south american citizens NOT to join our bullshit crusade. the only way we'll stop them is to starve their machine.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Bush is saving a ton of money sending these people to his bogus war.

Also from the article:

The personnel are being paid between US$1,000 and $3,500 a month.

Triple Canopy has already obtained contracts with the U.S. government worth more than $250 million this year for recruiting people in third world countries and sending them to Iraq, the media reported.
(snip/)

What a dirty shame.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Triple Canopy, founded by veterans of the US special force's Delta unit, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, employs over 300 employees, attracts Green Berets and Delta Force soldiers, and is owned privately <2> (http://www.triplecanopy.com/company/)<3> (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5166774/site/newsweek/). It is reported Triple Canopy has more than that in Iraq alone, with around 350 <4> (http://216.26.163.62/2004/me_iraq_10_15.html). They are an active firm, already involved in firefights in Iraq<5> (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A59516-2004Apr7¬Found=true).

Triple Canopy is one of several companies mentioned as pooling their resources with others in Iraq. Though this is often necessary, given the situation and the lack of US troops to back them up, some are concerned this is leading to a consolidation of power of private companies in a war zone. <6> (http://reason.com/0407/ci.jw.corporate.shtml)

Recently, Triple Canopy has stopped recruiting from the Philippines and started in war-experienced rich El Salvador. Company spokesman, Joe Mayo, says, "They've got the right background for the type of work we are doing." After training in Jordan, the troops will head to Iraq for site security. <7> (http://www.dailyherald.com/community/zone_story.asp?intID=38286138&zone=lin)

Three executives each wrote $2,000 checks for the Bush-Cheney campaign in March <8> (http://www.thinkingpeace.com/pages/arts2/arts206.html). Two $1,000 donations were made by Eddie Payne, a Triple Canopy subcontractor, to the RNC and to the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign. <9> (http://www.city-data.com/elec/elec-PERRYVILLE-MD.html)
(snip)

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Triple_Canopy_Inc.