CIA Hires Xe/Blackwater in Afghanistan, Elsewhere

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The report begins: "The CIA has hired Xe Services, the private security firm formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide, to guard its facilities in Afghanistan and elsewhere, according to an industry source. The previously undisclosed CIA contract is worth about $100 million, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the deal, which is classified."

From left, the five guards named in the original Blackwater shooting incident in Baghdad's Nisoor Square: Dustin Laurent Heard, Paul Slough, Nick Slatten, Donald Ball and Evan Liberty, 12/08/08. (photo: AP/Getty)

Comments

+3 # Guest 2010-08-17 21:00

The award of $100 million to Xe (aka Blackwater) makes me want to projectile vomit. Where do we go from here?

+4 # Guest 2010-08-17 21:34

What is the word for giving aid to the enemy?? That IS THE QUESTION????? It is INSANITY. We fund OUR military simultaneously we bribe the Taliban, while we are bankrupting the country????

Hellooooooooooo oooo

We can't afford to educate our young, so we can compete with China and India. Many sick people can't get help. Too expensive. So our population get weaker.

BUT THERE IS ALWAYS MONEY FOR WAR.

GOOD GRIEF HAVE WE EVER GOT OUR PRIORITIES WRONG

+4 # Guest 2010-08-17 21:46

Mr. Prince has a lot on his conscience.

His private army, for hire created a lot of bad will for us in Iraq, when they killed innocent people, while he made a lot of money. Now they are off to Afghanistan and???.. and Mr. Prince will make millions when he sells his army.

WE SURE HAVE SUNK LOW.

+1 # Guest 2010-08-18 11:25

Please do not use "Mr. Prince" and "conscience" in the same sentence.

+2 # Guest 2010-08-17 23:04

ELEGY TO THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC

There once was a country so grand
The people quite rightly were proud
And then they had wars with no end
Cash filled many pockets, and people died

Its people now bent and confused
Wondering, where did my country go?
No answer forthcoming, the silence deafening
But the Chinese made flag still waves, meekly

+2 # goodsensecynic 2010-08-18 02:16

To put this in perspective, $100 million is a lot of money ... about enough for the Yankees to purchase the services of 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez for three seasons.

+1 # Guest 2010-08-18 04:16

The yankees who are also on the tax payer breadline for their new stadium.

+1 # Guest 2010-08-18 04:18

The country needs to go on a tax strike...liberals and conservatives alike to get these lamprey business off our government.

+1 # Guest 2010-08-18 02:56

How to conserve and build upon one's pristine American reputation. Consistently slam Xe mercenaries for criminal activities, drag it through the courts, presumably to hold it accountable, give it a slap on the wrist, then embrace its values to represent the American way of life.

+1 # Guest 2010-08-18 03:12

So why not 'Sie Blackwasser" - kind of catches the spirit, no?

+1 # Guest 2010-08-18 13:08

That would be Schwartzwasser ...

+3 # Guest 2010-08-18 05:48

It's not the amount of money paid to these jackboots. It's the fact that they are unprincipled mercenary thugs who have been caught in their butchery and excused, like naughty school boys. But then, Bush and Cheney have been caught in lies and butchery, have bragged about it, and have not even been scolded. In this our duly elected President has let all of us down.

+1 # Guest 2010-08-18 10:01

Oops, too late! "Karzai Wants Security Firms Out of Afghanistan- TIME" Do we get our money back?

0 # Guest 2010-08-18 11:28

Does anyone care what Karzai wants?

+1 # angelfish 2010-08-18 13:11

Oh, O.K. They've "had to prove themselves". Just like B.P.did? It's TAX PAYER dollars that are paying for these CRIMINALS to wreak their mayhem in the World and I, for one, am NOT happy that ANY of my hard earned money might be enriching them. This is an OUTRAGE, pure and simple. President Obama! DON'T let them do this. They are the bushnik/cheneyite crew members. Void the contract! WHY do we need MERCENARIES???

0 # Guest 2010-08-21 10:23

Because we have a volunteer army; but we can't afford to have a big enough army!

SO WE PAY MERCENARIES TWICE AS MUCH AS OUR ENLISTED MEN AND WOMEN????
Please explain that to me>

0 # Guest 2010-08-20 15:22

In the article, http://readersupportednews.org/pm-section/21-21/2652-privatizing-war
it is explained why this is such an outrage... Obama's complicity here is unforgivable.

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