Secret Desert Force Set Up by Blackwater’s Founder
“ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Late one night last November, a plane carrying dozens of Colombian men touched down in this glittering seaside capital. Whisked through customs by an Emirati intelligence officer, the group boarded an unmarked bus and drove roughly 20 miles to a windswept military complex in the desert sand.
“The Colombians had entered the United Arab Emirates posing as construction workers. In fact, they were soldiers for a secret American-led mercenary army being built by Erik Prince, the billionaire founder ofBlackwater Worldwide, with $529 million from the oil-soaked sheikdom.
“Mr. Prince, who resettled here last year after his security business faced mounting legal problems in the United States, was hired by the crown prince of Abu Dhabi to put together an 800-member battalion of foreign troops for the U.A.E., according to former employees on the project, American officials and corporate documents obtained 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 in their crowded labor camps or were challenged by pro-democracy protests like those sweeping the Arab world this year.”
Cassi Creek:
From The Times
August 6, 2009
Blackwater accused of murder in 'crusade to eliminate Muslims
Tim Reid in Washington
“A series of allegations including murder, weapons smuggling and the deliberate slaughter of civilians have been leveled against the founder of Blackwater, the security company being investigated for shooting deaths in Iraq.
The accusations, including a claim that the company founder Erik Prince either murdered or had killed former employees co-operating with federal investigators, are contained in sworn affidavits lodged at a Virginia court on Monday night.
The company was the most prominent of an army of private security companies employed by the Pentagon and State Department to protect military convoys and guard US diplomats in Iraq.”
The accusations against Mr. Prince are being made by two former employees, including a former Marine, who have sworn them anonymously as John Doe No 1 and John Doe No 2, because they said they feared for their lives if their identities were revealed.
In one of the statements, John Doe 2, who worked for Blackwater for four years, alleged that Mr. Prince “views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe” and that his companies “encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life”.
Cassi Creek:
Blackwater became Xe Services in an apparent attempt to polish a poor PR image and to distance the owners from legal claims and fines. As their corporate reputation became less favorable and the use of mercenaries by the U.S. government became a political liability, the shift form Bush to Obama administration policies left them a para-military mob with no war.
The use of mercenaries is unacceptable to me. There is an immense gulf between soldiers serving a nation and armed men serving their bank accounts. Perhaps some of the employees have found another reason to hire their services to Prince and associates.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/21/seymour-hersh-military-crusaders_n_812363.html
Seymour Hersh: Military Branch Being Run By 'Crusaders'
Seymour Hersh: Military Branch Being Run By 'Crusaders'
First Posted: 01/21/11 03:51 PM Updated: 01/23/11 04:41 PM
The all-volunteer armed forces have allowed a fundamentalist Christian presence to develop at all echelons of the military. The use of crusader motivation by officers and NCOs can only inflame Muslim enemies and play directly into their propaganda programs.
Prince’s new bosses in the UAE are carefully building a non-Muslim force to be used against Muslims by a government that can then deny it is waging war or using martial force against Muslims. Prince must see this as an added bonus. His forces can be secretly motivated as new crusaders and he will be paid royally for building a 5th column in the Middle East.
The one certainty in dealing with mercenaries is that they are motivated by money rather than by national loyalty or ethics. Historically, mercenaries have often changed sides in the middle of campaigns and even within battles. A higher bid will win their services.
Prince is, no doubt, taking great pains to have his own praetorian guard paid handsomely so that his safety is secured. It will be interesting indeed, when his army of hired guns is deployed against Muslim forces and civilians. The world is condemning Col Khadafy for deploying mercenaries in Libya. Mr. Prince may wind up fielding troops for equally or even more despicable rulers. I hope his companies have worn out their welcome in the U.S.
One thing is certain; Prince is not the noble paladin he believes he is. There is no need to wire San Francisco. Richard Boone won’t be stepping off the train to defeat the opposing mercenaries.
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