Mercenaries undercutting one another in Iraq. How nice

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2006/August/focusoniraq_August85.xml§ion=focusoniraq&col=

Iraq ain’t no Peru, say South American mercenaries

<snip>The Peruvians are employed by the private US security firm Triple Canopy based in Virginia, and they wear their employer’s uniforms emblazoned with the slogan: “Assess, Avert, Achieve.”

They are barred from speaking to the media and so all those interviewed by AFP spoke on condition of anonymity. Their US superiors on site also refused to speak to a reporter, citing orders from their head office in the United States.

About a year ago, the Peruvians replaced the famed Nepalese Gurkhas who had served in the British army, but not because the South Americans were judged more competent. They replaced the Nepalese because they were cheaper.

A western private security operative from a modern army -- such as an American, a Briton or a South African -- can earn between 8,000 and 16,000 dollars (6,200 to 12,500 euros) per month, one private security official said.

The Gurkhas were earning around 3,000 dollars per month. The Peruvians earn about one third of that.

One told of wages amounting to 1,000 dollars per month, another of “40 dollars per day.” The pay is better than what Iraqi soldiers earn, but far from being a gold mine.

“It’s still money. It’s what we’re here for, that’s for sure,” said one Peruvian security man, who said he was recruited by a subsidiary of Triple Canopy.

[Sherman A1]

1. Gotta love it....

Greed, greed and more greed. It's always, all about the bottom line.....

[SteppingRazor]

2. Ah, capitalism at work!

See? The system works! :evilgrin:

[ShortnFiery]

3. But all of them are not worth SQUAT

You want mercenaries who are not only blessed with and Anti-Social Personality but also high intelligence, speak the language and can infiltrate the culture.

All you have now is seemingly DNA killing machines. Nobody's going to take them into the fold. :(

What a complete bloodbath.

Shame on US (AMERICA) for bringing Civil War to Iraq thats 100x worse than the continued Authoritarian Thuggery type rule of Saddam Husein.

2008 can not come fast enough with Darth Cheney at the reigns of our Mighty WAR Machine. :puke:

[Jim Warren]

4. Hmmm, that could mean......

there might be money to be made in outsourcing suicide bombers.
What'd ya think?

[DemInDistress]

5. weren't the BFEE mercenaries getting up to 1,000.00 per day?

I remember reading that somewhere. Blackwater,Halliburton or somebody. Now we outsource security in Iraq to folks from Peru. Wow!! but is the balance of what Peruvians receive put in the pockets of the companies?