Extra guards for Iraq oil sites

afp ^ | August 19, 2003

[Ranger]

THE coalition forces signed a contract for the hiring of 6,500 additional security guards to protect oil-related facilities in Iraq, a spokesman said today.

The Coalition Provisional Authority signed a contract with Erinys International security firm to hire and train the guards to protect 100 oil-related installations, the spokesman said, adding the contract had been under negotiation for a few months.

The announcement was made after the pipeline from Iraq's northern oilfields around Kirkuk to the Turkish terminal of Ceyhan was attacked on Friday when unknown assailants blew up a section near Baiji.

The attack has landed a hard blow to the United States' rebuilding efforts in Iraq and its aim to use oil revenues to fund the monumental costs of getting the country up and running.

On its website, Erinys bills itself as a specialist in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as "volatile, uncertain or complex environments".

[Ranger]

This obvious commonsense move should have been done a month ago. Pay the former army to be security forces protecting their own national infrastructure. We're essentially paying them to sit at home now anyway.

[OldFriend]

The Iraqi's have seen the enemy....and it's them!

[WhiteGuy]

Invasion and occupation of Iraq has never had anything to do with the OIL though.............

[Ranger]

But paying for it certainly does.

[mtbopfuyn]

Ok, I'm waiting. When are the RATS going to complaining Bush, who was out playing golf while people were dying, didn't go over the UN's wishes and hire security for them anyway?