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Mail & Guardian
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Security forces inspect at the site after a Russian missile attack as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on July 19, 2022. (FILE PHOTO by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Russia’s war on Ukraine could turn private

The expanding use of private military and security companies in recent years suggests that they may take a leading role as the Ukraine conflict develops

CIA terror link puts Blackwater under fire again

Notorious in Iraq and Afghanistan — now Erik Prince’s security firm faces new claims of secret assassination contracts

Blackwater guards ready to surrender over Iraq killings

Five guards from security firm Blackwater have been ordered to surrender to the FBI to face charges in connection with the killing of Iraqi civilians.

US security firm runs into new trouble

Randel Parks pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and rocked back on the heels of his cowboy boots. ”I’ve been here 30 years,” he said, staring at the ground, ”and I’ve…

Blackwater guards offered immunity deals

United States State Department investigators looking into the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqis in Baghdad last month offered immunity deals to Blackwater security guards. The…

Iraq bomb hidden in toy cart hits children

A bomb hidden in a cart of toys killed two children and wounded 17 others in a playground in northern Iraq on Friday, the first day of a national holiday to celebrate the end of…

New US embassy in Baghdad riddled with problems

Shoddy construction work, safety lapses, kickbacks, internal disputes and ballooning costs — the new United States embassy complex in Baghdad is mired in a deluge of problems,…

Outraged Iraqis condemn killings by foreign guards

Iraqi authorities on Wednesday condemned the killing in Baghdad of two women by foreign security guards, as the firm which hired the contractors defended its action. Tuesday’s…

Iraq wants Blackwater to pay $136m compensation

The Iraqi government wants United States security firm Blackwater to pay -million in compensation to each of the families of 17 people killed in a shooting. The figure was…

Iraq vows to punish Blackwater guards

Iraq has vowed to punish United States security firm Blackwater after a probe found that its guards were not provoked when they opened ”deliberate” fire in Baghdad three weeks…

Iraq security firm denies trigger-happy charge

The United States company at the centre of the scandal over the role of private security guards in Iraq brushed aside accusations that it was a cowboy outfit on Tuesday, even as…

Iraq’s hired hands under fire

They needed to be hired fast after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. With too few United States soldiers on the ground, demand for private security guards was at a level not seen since…