Ex-soldiers blur Afghan security

[seemslikeadream]

By Andrew North
BBC correspondent in Kabul


It's becoming harder to spot genuine troops like this American

...........

Often they are private contractors.

Phil Halton of Anso, an organisation that provides security advice to aid agencies, admits there may be a "perception" problem now.

He points out that it is well known that the US government uses many private contractors.

For instance, a private US security firm is guarding President Hamid Karzai.

Contractors have also been used by the CIA to interrogate detainees in Afghanistan.

That makes it harder for the US authorities to convince people that they are not involved with people like Jonathan Idema.


The Kabul house where Idema and two other Americans were held

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3881317.stm

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