Afghanistan cracks down on private security firms

[Spazito]

Source: CTV

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan authorities have shut down two private security companies and more than 10 others are expected to be closed soon.

Police Gen. Ali Shah Paktiawal says authorities shut down the Afghan-run security companies Wathan and Caps, and found 82 illegal weapons during the two raids in Kabul on Tuesday.

A western security official who doesn't want to be named says some major western companies are on the list of at least 10 others tapped for closure. He would not identify the companies.

The crackdown echoes efforts by authorities in Iraq to rein in private security contractors often accused of acting with impunity.



Read more: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071011/afghan_firms_071011/20071011?hub=World

---

Hmmm, is Blackwater operating in Afghanistan as well as Iraq? Are they on the list of more than 10 private contractors to be shut down soon?

[lumpy]

1. Yes, according to the article on Yahoo front page, Blackwater is

operating in Afghanistan. I'm curious, do you know if this the first time in history that the US government has hired mercenaries to fight(or police) in foreign countries ?

[Robbien]

2. You haven't been paying too closely to our efforts in Latin America

Mercs/Death Squads have been and are the US's favored army of choice when dealing with any country south of the border.

[lumpy]

4. Sorry, I didn't make myself quite clear. I am very much

aware the the US is involved covertly and openly in other countries political and domestic affairs. **I meant to ask if the US has used paid mercenaries in our past wars with or against other countries**. Please don't assume that I haven't being paying close attention to US foreign involvements, you are quite wrong in your assumption. Thanks.

[Toots]

6. Yes the USA has used mercenary forces

In Vietnam they used Montanards, Vietnamese hill people that are sort of like the Aborigines in Australia.

[cosmicdot]

3. i.e., DynCorp

i.e. Pug Winokur and his Capricorn Holdings, former Enron Board of Director, and involved with Harvard Management when it invested in Bu$h's Harken Energy (which Bu$h got out of before Poppy has his Iraqi war)

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=DynCorp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DynCorp_International
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/elite/DYNCORP.htm
The Elite Watch homepage http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/elite/index.htm#top2
(nice reference site)

Catherine Austin Fitts article, "The Real Deal: Connecting The Harvard Watch Dots"

~snip~ Pug Winokur of Capricorn and another member of the board of Harvard Management -- and later Harvard Corporation -- was also on the NHP Board. At the time he was also the Chairman of DynCorp and the Chairman of the Finance Committee of Enron. (See Harvard Watch's study on the Harvard pump and dump on Enron. Note: Pug Winokur was made to resign from the Harvard corporation as a result of this investigation.). ~snip~
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0210/S00089.htm

[Supersedeas]

5. Condi's lil' pets will not be happy about this -- Angry Cronies alert