Blackwater guards joined CIA raids in Iraq, Afghanistan: NY Times

Yeah when the CIA wants to enhance their killing style and ability, they call Blackwater." Man, most of those guys are fat and out of shape and probably can't shoot either. I guess the CIA needs to be re-built too.

CIA spokesman George Little said, “This agency, like many others, uses contractors in roles that complement and enhance the skills of our own work force, just as American law permits.”

Yeah when the CIA wants to enhance their killing style and ability, they call Blackwater. < :-)

Major props to the NYTimes for tipping off the freedom fighters in Iraq, Afghanistan Somalia, Nigeria, Philapines and elsewhere.

Yes because now the freedom fighters will be on the look out for the CIA and Mercs to being doing co-oped clandestine operations, instead of just the CIA, which they couldn't stop.

Major props to the NYTimes for tipping off the freedom fighters in Iraq, Afghanistan Somalia, Nigeria, Philapines and elsewhere.

Isolationism is where it is at.

You realize you want to thank the wackos, right? They are every bit the terrorists you purport to be against, have murdered countless innocents, and all for profit. It's disgusting that anyone would support these scum, who would kill you in Iraq or elsewhere for looking at you sideways. :)

Wow, you guys realize you mostly sound like conspiracy nuts right? Are you... conspiracy nuts? Blackwater isn't just some merc outfit, that takes contracts. I'm not saying there aren't those groups, but they go down fast. The reason Blackwater was successful, was because they hired former military and CIA people, who wanted out of the low paying government jobs. Put another way, working for Blackwater, you did the same work, but got paid properly for risking your life. They supported CIA and military operations wherever the US was working. Note they were not going around assassinating people. Nor were they working for or using Death Squads. Writer of the article is an idiot. That program, never went operational, first of all, and second, the goal being to take down enemy leaders? I never did understand what was wrong with that.

What I really hate about stories like this, is the titillation factor. Somehow, clandestine = evil. Clandestine merely means secret. As in it wasn't a public raid where reporters were invited. The military did those too, in order to keep their opponents who were watching the news everyday from finding out. When dealing with terrorists, you have to use these tactics or else, you lose. They're still doing it, even today. Note what was not occurring, were death squads. Don't know where the author got that idea.

No matter how professional these people might be, no matter how trustworthy, reliable, patriotic, etc., the military must remain fully accountable to a civilian government. Filling the world with mercenaries cannot be the policy of a peace-loving democratic government.

Very well said!!

The growth of a private, for-profit mercenary force like Blackwater (Xe) is another indicator that the United States is heading down a path to a place occupied by third-world military dictatorships. In other words, we are rapidly heading to where countries like Brazil and Argentina were a few decades ago.

We are starting to read of Blackwater operating with the CIA in Pakistan. Since Blackwater's paramilitary activities do not come under the official scrutiny of any civilian organization, they are free to work clandestinely to assassinate whomever they are directed to by...whomever is willing to pay them. Just as the average corporation is not the kind of place where things like democracy and freedom of speech (and other erstwhile American values) are practiced, the Blackwater enterprise untimately will have no loyalties which transcend the profit motive.

To keep themselves in business requires the creation of more and more enemies. They know how to do this: Make sure that when you go after one guy, you take out an additional 30 innocent people.

We should all thank these hard men who risk their lives to fight the wackos who would torture and kill us without hesitation or remorse.

Sounds like an ad for a mix of Viagra and Crystal-Meth. Don't you mean, "We should thank these men for torturing and killing without hesitation, and otherwise destroying the lives of the usually innocent elderly, women and children who think we are wackos without remorse?" It would certainly be more accurate. Check the Pak-Drone body count!

I'm always amazed at how pro-life the aggressors are at home but who don't think twice about slaughtering people far away. One local kid is a tragedy. A million foreigners is a statistic. Merry Christ-Mas to you, Sarge!

Blackwater is now called Xe services.

No matter how professional these people might be, no matter how trustworthy, reliable, patriotic, etc., the military must remain fully accountable to a civilian government. Filling the world with mercenaries cannot be the policy of a peace-loving democratic government.

The US and Saudis gave Bin Laden and others weapons and funding to fight the Soviets. If you could go back in time and prevent that from happening, would you? I have the same bad feeling about Blackwater. They are on "our" side for now, but exactly what side is that, and what happens when some Middle Eastern businessman with enough money and contacts wants to greenlight a mission against, say, the government of South Africa or Ukraine or the UAE?

The Romans thought they had it all figured out, and they just lost control slowly over time. In the era of resource wars unfolding, Xe is an up and coming player... for hire.

We are who we associate with: If you provide security to a death squad -you are part to/of said death squad.

I see no differentation.

Doesn't say much about the Govs/People that allow these death squads to exist.

We should all thank these hard men who risk their lives to fight the wackos who would torture and kill us without hesitation or remorse.

Unless you are an iraqi and those "hard men" are the whackos trying to torture and kill you!

pretty sure they are out of business these days." I could go on a anti-US gov rant, but I won't. do you have any experience in doing business with the US gov? Believe me, its more connected than a prison gang!

Blckwater reincorporated under another name...nothing has changed...

I am so glad Barack has disbanded Blackwater. Yes, he used their services Afghanistan when he was campaigning but I am pretty sure they are out of business these days. As usual , he is keeping it real.

this could leave a gap in all those billions worth of contracts. I'm guessing I'm gonna have to start a mercenary company too.... The opportunities are endless!

If I had to hire outside contractors, I would have hired the French Foreign Legion!

sarge: "We should all thank these hard men who risk their lives to fight the wackos who would torture and kill us without hesitation or remorse."

You realize you want to thank the wackos, right? They are every bit the terrorists you purport to be against, have murdered countless innocents, and all for profit. It's disgusting that anyone would support these scum, who would kill you in Iraq or elsewhere for looking at you sideways. :)

Sarge

including a September 2007 shooting in Baghdad by five company security guards that left 17 civilians dead.

Should the families of the civilians thank them too? If they were under supervision of militiary leadership, it might be a different matter, but sounds like there have been times when they may have been out of control?

Most of these guys have security clearances that don't expire, have worked with the CIA on active duty, and are still subject to recall...looks to me like the recall was done via their employer, so where is the problem???

We should all thank these hard men who risk their lives to fight the wackos who would torture and kill us without hesitation or remorse.