Halliburton hires Colombian mercenaries for work in Iraq: report

[maddezmom]

BOGOTA - A US company has recruited 25 retired Colombian police and army officers to provide security for oil infrastructure in Iraq, according to the newspaper El Tiempo.


The officers met in northern Bogota on December 2 with a Colombian colonel, who, on behalf of “Halliburton Latin America,” offered them monthly salaries of 7,000 dollars to provide security for oil workers and infrastructure in several Iraqi cities, according to one of the men, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“On Friday, 16 Colombians will leave for Iraq with one-year contracts, renewable for six months,” the source said. “In addition to the salary of 7,000 dollars, vacations in Europe every three months and life insurance were offered,” he said.

The information was confirmed by a Colombian government source, according to El Tiempo, but denied by a Halliburton spokesman in Bogota.

~snip~
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2004/December/focusoniraq_December105.xml§ion=focusoniraq&col=


~snip~

EL TIEMPO corroboró su testimonio con fuentes gubernamentales.

"Sabemos que ya se fue el primer grupo de colombianos", confirma un alto funcionario de la Superintendencia de Vigilancia y Seguridad Privada. Añade que desde hace unos días esa entidad tiene conocimiento del reclutamiento de "capital humano colombiano". "Su experiencia en combate del terrorismo, el crimen y la delincuencia organizada está siendo aprovechada en Irak".

Asistentes a la reunión aseguran que la oficina a la que fueron citados es de Halliburton Latinoamérica, filial de la petrolera Halliburton Co., dirigida durante 5 años por el hoy vicepresidente de Estados Unidos, Dick Cheney, y blanco de polémicas, entre otras cosas, por obtener el contrato más grande para apagar incendios petroleros en Irak, provocados por seguidores del derrocado régimen de Saddam Hussein.

Efectivamente, Halliburton es señalada en E.U. como una de las 30 compañías en el mundo dedicadas a este tipo de reclutamiento junto con Blackwater USA, especialista en combate urbano; y Dyncorp, que apoya labores de fumigación de narcocultivos en Colombia.

Pero sus voceros en Colombia negaron tajantemente cualquier vínculo con este reclutamiento aunque dijeron conocer casos de personas que se han marchado al Medio Oriente, incluso ex empleados suyos: "Aquí llaman a preguntar pero no tenemos nada que ver con el tema (...) Nosotros sí hemos enviado personal operativo y administrativo a Irak, pero es de nuestra planta
~snip~

http://eltiempo.terra.com.co/judi/2004-12-12/ARTICULO-WEB-_NOTA_INTERIOR-1921270.html

[alexisfree]

1. dont forget la 'coca"

[saigon68]

2. THUGS HOODLUMS AND CRIMINALS

No problem with these guys killing a Few RAG-HEADS.

[NuttyFluffers]

16. but it also wonderfully works in reverse :)

i hate using these freeper epithets, but... i plunge!

RAG-HEADS
No Problem with these guys killing a few THUGS, HOODLUMS, and CRIMINALS.

they won't be sorely missed in latin america, i can be pretty confident about that.

[htuttle]

3. Is that the Drug Lord Brigade?

Are they flying planes back and forth between the Middle East and Columbia, too?

[Sal Minella]

14. Good money-laundering possibilities, i.e.

Halliburton can use the druglord structure to launder some of the largesse it's stolen from U.S. taxpayers.

[Solly Mack]

4. No doubt Negroponte helped in the selection process

[livinbella]

5. Couldn't you buy Polish or Russian mercenaries for a lot less?

Or Chechnyian mercenaries, how much could they cost?
I would shop around for a two-for-one deal on my mercenaries,
and only buy when they are on sale.

[bemildred]

6. I hear there are some good ones out of work in Haiti too. nt

[Vidar]

7. Maybe they can find a place for Hassenfuss.

[bemildred]

8. Yep, experienced pilots are hard to find too ... nt

[BeHereNow]

13. A private company, don't know which one

offered my brother, a helicopter pilot, retired army,
$11.000.00 a month to go over and fly for them.
Tax free, one year contract.
I told him he would be crazy to do it.
Thankfully he agrees.
bhn

[NNN0LHI]

9. I sure hope none of these fine lads get hurt...too bad n/t

[Nihil]

17. Just medium rare on the BBQ this time?

:evilgrin:

[cosmicdot]

10. who needs a federal government ...

or a Defense Dept. or State or Commerce, etc.? Corporate America just takes matters into its own hands independent of government oversight. It does its own thing. Who needs sovereign Nation-States? You have your foreign policy, and Corporate America will have theirs.

[Judi Lynn]

11. Good lord! Also in the first article, this unexpected news.....

El Tiempo also reported that a Colombian manufacturer of armored vehicles has signed a contract to sell 50 of them to oil executives and top Iraqi officials.

A spokesman for the company confirmed the sale but refused to give the name of the firm “for security reasons.”

US press reports have said that civilians and retired soldiers from Chile, South Africa and Spain are being recruited to reinforce Iraqi security personnel.
(snip)

Chile had a fascist state created with the help of Nixon and Kissinger. Probably are lots of storm troopers, torturers from the over 1,000 torture centers which were set up in Chile, and the three off-shore torture ships who would love new experience brutalizing US-designated "enemies." South Africa? Tsk, tsk, tsk.

It's enough to make Nosferatu Negroponte weep with joy.

[Megahurtz]

12. Am I imagining things, or

does this have any connection to Manuel Noriega, Bush Sr. and all of his Contra Costa buddies? :think:

[struggle4progress]

15. Sure! Iraqis want a democracy following the Colombian model!