Blackwater Founder Forms Secret Army for Arab State

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Blackwater Founder Forms Secret Army for Arab State - NYTimes.com

Just when it all seemed to have gone quiet over Blackwater - America's notorious private military contractor that came to the fore in the Iraq conflict - its founder turns up in the desert deploying a secret and private army for the government of the United Arab Emirates.

Erik Prince, billionaire founder of Blackwater (now re-branded as XE) has set up the force - which consists of Colombian and South African elements, to protect the Emirates from both external threat and internal challenge, according to documents seen by the New York Times:

The force is intended to conduct special operations missions inside and outside the country, defend oil pipelines and skyscrapers from terrorist attacks and put down internal revolts, the documents show. Such troops could be deployed if the Emirates faced unrest or were challenged by pro-democracy demonstrations in its crowded labor camps or democracy protests like those sweeping the Arab world this year.

All very grim.

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Related articles

• UAE hired ex-Blackwater boss to form army - Sydney Morning Herald (news.google.com)
• Blackwater founder Eric Prince building American-led army of mercenaries in UAE (boingboing.net)

More Blackwater Contractors Than Police In Pakistan's Capital?

Everyone's favourite mercenaries - Blackwater, recently re-branded as XE - are operating in large numbers in Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

One local politician has gone as far as to say that he thinks there are more XE contractors in the capital than local police. Maulana Fazlur Rahman is quoted by UPI as stating that there are around 9,000 XE contractors operating in the capital, compared with 7,000 local police.

Before we dismiss the claims of the leader of the JUI Party (which has pro-Taliban leanings) out of hand, it is worth pondering for a moment what it would feel like if 9,000 foreign military contractors (say, from Russia, or China) were operating in London or New York. I think many westerners would find this an appalling prospect.

The development comes the week that the first known American military deaths were announced inside Pakistan.

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