Security contractors face challenges in Iraq

Problems mount after U.S. troops withdraw from country

Fred Pleitgen – (NECN/CNN) – January 24, 2012 – It’s getting harder for private security contractors to do business in Iraq.

Government officials say the contractors simply have to follow the requirements for any foreigners.

The American Iraqi Solutions Group has been providing security there since 2004. It’s president acknowledges that things have gotten more difficult for private security contractors in Iraq since U.S. troops withdrew from the country at the end of 2011.

“They went through some stages where they have got the visa issue under control, then they made some changes. It makes it more difficult to do international business in Iraq,” Carter Andress said.

Visa delays are not the only problem U.S. and other foreign contractors say they face. Many complain the Iraqi government is failing to renew weapons and vehicle permits – essential for security work in the country.

A group representing the contractors says more than a hundred have been detained in the past months – mostly for missing or expired paperwork, and the perceived crackdown by Iraqi authorities is jeopardizing their ability to do everything – from personal security to training the Iraqi military.

One top Iraqi official says that in the long term, Iraq wants the private contractors to leave.

“The same procedures apply to all foreigners and it does not matter if this foreigner is a contractor or a civilian,” Baghdad’s Deputy Governor Abdul Kareem Thirib said.

“This is the country’s policy and they should all deal with it.”

But many contractors say the government’s rules are unclear and often change. Private security contractors have a bad reputation among many Iraqis who view them as trigger-happy and above the law.

Especially since an incident on Baghdad’s Nissour Square in 2007, when personnel for Blackwater Security – a company that has since changed its name – opened fire on Iraqi civilians.

Seventeen people were killed in the incident in Nissour Square, and it still is one of the main reasons why Iraqis distrust contractors so much. But the contractors are a vital part of America’s strategy to continue building Iraq’s economy and its security after the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

AISG’s president says that mission will continue to be important and lucrative.

“Tremendous amount of wealth potential there and obviously great opportunities for business if you have the long term perspective on going in there,” Andress said.

Contractors will need a lot of patience to tap into that wealth, as Iraq asserts its sovereignty after America’s withdrawal. (Click HERE for original article)