Hamid Karzai has long made clear his opposition to private security companies, saying only the Afghan army and police should be allowed to carry weapons. Photograph: Matt Moyer/Getty ImagesRogue Security Companies Threaten US Gains In Afghanistan War -- Christian Science Monitor
The Pentagon is dependent upon contractors in the Afghanistan war. But many of the security companies are undermining – or even working against –the US war effort.
Since its Revolutionary days, the American military has been no stranger to the use of paid help – from carpenters to ditch diggers – to wage war. By 1965 in Vietnam, the practice of relying on private defense companies became widespread enough within the Pentagon that Business Week dubbed it a "war by contract."
In Afghanistan, the use of private contractors has reached record levels. A 2010 Congressional Research Service report found that they now make up 60 percent of the Defense Department's workforce. With fewer US soldiers than contractors throughout the war-torn country, the Pentagon is more dependent on private defense contractors than ever in its history.
Read more ....
More News On Security Contractors In Afghanistan
Afghanistan: move to ban private security firms hits reconstruction effort -- The Telegraph
Reports: Security policy threatens Afghan reconstruction -- MSNBC
Report: U.S.-Led Reconstruction Projects to End in Afghanistan Over Security Dispute -- FOX News
U.N. weighs in on security contractors -- UPI
My Comment: What does not help the situation is reading stories like this one.