U.S. contractors in Iraq allege abuses

[Contrary1]

Four men say they witnessed the shooting of unarmed civilians

"There are new allegations that heavily armed private security contractors in Iraq are brutalizing Iraqi civilians. In an exclusive interview, four former security contractors told NBC News that they watched as innocent Iraqi civilians were fired upon, and one crushed by a truck. The contractors worked for an American company paid by U.S. taxpayers. The Army is now looking into the allegations.
,snip.
Later, the convoy came upon two teenagers by the road. One allegedly was gunned down. "The rear gunner in my vehicle shot him," says Colling. "Unarmed, walking kids."

In another traffic jam, they claim a Ford 350 pickup truck smashed into, then rolled up and over the back of a small sedan full of Iraqis. "The front of the truck came down," says Craun. "I could see two children sitting in the back seat of that car with their eyes looking up at the axle as it came down and pulverized the back."

more...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6947745/

[CatBoreal]

1. They work for a company called...

Custer Battles.

Why does this not surprise me?

[heyphillip]

2. Abuse

I just seen the men on MSNBC WOW! what a story they tell and we wonder why we are hated around the world talking about Sadaam we are acting just as bad in Iraq against the people there.watch and see the media and Bush and company go after these guys fore telling this story.

[Ian David]

3. Is this the Halliburton subsidiary that kidnapped, abused Indian workers?

[Moderator]

4. kick

to combine threads

[NNN0LHI]

5. U.S. contractors in Iraq allege abuses (Witnessed unarmed civilians shot)

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6947745/

Four men say they witnessed shooting of unarmed civilians

There are new allegations that heavily armed private security contractors in Iraq are brutalizing Iraqi civilians. In an exclusive interview, four former security contractors told NBC News that they watched as innocent Iraqi civilians were fired upon, and one crushed by a truck. The contractors worked for an American company paid by U.S. taxpayers. The Army is looking into the allegations.

The four men are all retired military veterans: Capt. Bill Craun, Army Rangers; Sgt. Jim Errante, military police; Cpl. Ernest Colling, U.S. Army; and Will Hough, U.S. Marines. All went to Iraq months ago as private security contractors.

"I went there for the money," says Hough.

"I'm a patriot," says Craun.

"You can't turn off being a soldier," says Colling.

They worked for an American company named Custer Battles, hired by the Pentagon to conduct dangerous missions guarding supply convoys. They were so upset by what they saw, three quit after only one or two missions.

more

[Erika]

6. Please get this out on blogs

We need to get our people out of there and protect the Iraqis from this behavior.

[libodem]

7. I've heard some sick things about abuses

private contractor translates to mercenary. They are sold to the highest bidder no matter what the cause. I've also, heard, that the newly trained military troops and police are allowed to brutalize their own people. The people are being fucked. The mothers and the children. The young sons and the fathers.

[NAO]

9. Usually contracts are awarded to the LOWEST bidder, but under *, who knows

Your post said, "They are sold to the highest bidder no matter what the cause".

Standard military procurement procedure is (was?) to award contracts to the lowest responsive bidder. But under Bush and his corrupt cronyism, who knows? Maybe they are awarding the contracts to the highest bidders nowadays, to transfer the maximum amount of American tax dollars from working people to private companies.

[NAO]

8. Saw this story on NBC News - they emphasized KURDS did it

The story on the NBC Nightly News on "Private Contractor Abuse of Iraqis" where they interviewed these four men emphasized THAT THE ABUSE WAS DONE BY KURDS who had been hired by the mercenary firm.

The NBC report did not ever say that American citizens in the employ of these mercenary firms committed any abuse.

Neither did they mention that these private firms are not subject to the Geneva Conventions (they only apply to conduct of military personal and treatment of prisoners of war) and that this may have been the deliberate design of the planners at the Pentagon.

[Erika]

11. Man's inhumanity to man

and why are we there?

[LynnTheDem]

10. The fall of the Empire; that's how it has always happened. Mercs.

Ask Rome.

[saigon68]

12. Photo

[The Magistrate]

13. 'Custer Battles', My Friend

Is notorious. It is third-rate operation by shoe-string profiteers who have no business being involved in any important matter.

[jasop]

14. U.S. contractors in Iraq allege abuses

Employees of a U.S. private contractor hired by the U.S. military to protect supplies say the brutality they witnessed against Iraqis led them to quit.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6947745/

[saigon68]

15. Nothing New here just non-whites being abused.

US has a long history of beating the crap out of non-white human beings.

The military does it by training their troops subtly, to look down on the slopes, dinks, gooks and Rag-Heads

[Hissyspit]

16. Dupe (see link)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1240695