US Embassy Employees Fired in Kabul, Afghanistan: ArmorGroup Terminates 14 After Reports of Inappropriate Behavior

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Cassandra James
Published September 05, 2009 by:
Cassandra James
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ArmorGroup Fires 14 Employees in Kabul, Afghanistan Embassy Scandal, but Why Wasn't the US Government Monitoring Them?

According to CNN, US government contractor, ArmorGroup, has fired 14 employees of the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, after reports surfaced last week of inappropriate behavior. US embassy employees
 in Kabul were participating in sexual activity, heavy drinking, hazing and even going on 'reconnaissance trips' without authorization from the US government and using US embassy equipment. So, ArmorGroup fired them and has announced they'll be looking further into the incidents, with more Kabul US embassy employee firings possibly to come.

It's not surprising this behavior happened though, after all, contractors like ArmorGroup, a UK based company, often seem to think the normal rules of behavior overseas don't apply to them. Illegal behavior by US government contractors has occurred before, the worst being the Blackwater incident in Iraq when contractors of the US company Blackwater murdered 17 Iraqi civilians in an OK Corral type shoot-out. ArmorGroup is just the latest US government contractor that seems to be giving its employees free-rein, to the detriment of its reputation and financial stability. But, the US government isn't monitoring them either. Why?

When the US government contracts a company to work in its name overseas, it's often paying companies who are nothing more than mercenaries - guns-for-hire - to do the jobs the US army either doesn't want to do or cannot do. Once the contract has been given though, the US government seems to think abrogating all responsibility for their contractors' actions is fine. This is quite likely because they do actually know the type of activity these contractors engage in and also know the contractors will be blamed and not the US government when it all goes to hell in a hand basket. So they're really not that concerned. After all, how convenient is it to allow someone else to do the dirty stuff in your name, knowing the fallout will never end up on you.

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Published by Cassandra James - Featured Travel Contributor; Featured Education Contributor
I'm a British-American writer currently living in Bangkok, Thailand. I've been writing for Associated Content since 2007 and was named one of AC's Top 100 Writers for both 2008 and 2009. I primarily write tr...  View profile
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Er....it's spelled THAI - and you may think I'm a 'blogger' but I actually get PAID for what I write. Do you get paid for your stupid comments? :-)
This so called blogger is laughable. She knows know nothing about what she is trying to talk about. The so called Mercenaries she writes about are the very guys who would keep her safe in the Thia US Embassy when she is applying for a new passport and most other US Embassies around the world. Way out in left field, hand back your US passport and go back to England. Further entry denied!
Not only am I a high school drop-out I have a learning disability but at least I know enough about checking facts before making statements I can't back-up. My reading standard must be on par with yours as as you didn't answer my question as to your STATEMENT that most Contractors (who you refer to as "Mercenaries") have a KILL, KILL,KILL mentality. ANSWER THE QUESTION OR STAY A FOREVER HACK. Simple as that
Oh and it's spelled DROPOUT :-)
Yes, Donnie, I can tell you are a high school dropout as you obviously cannot READ!!!!
Miss James: I take it when you refer to "Mercenaries" you actually mean Security Contractor? What collected data/info/personal experience do you have to you back-up your claim that for security contractors it's all about Kill, kill, kill & money. My guess is none what so ever. Maybe these contractors who are employed to fill important positions for the UK and US Gov. do it because just like you they need a job, they have families, mortgages & responsibilities. I do agree with you that they do for the money! Don't we all? Kill, kill,kill, what the hell are you on about. I hope there is such a thing as a Security Contractors Association as for them to sue your daft arse. Within any industry there are professionals and the ones who are not, thankfully the latter eventually get found out. So back to your Kill, kill, kill, where does that come from? Until you can answer that you are nothing more than a hack with no substance. As for me I am a high scholl dropoot that has
I agree with %27Steve%22%2C there are thousands of contractors that do an excellent job%2C in fact most of the contractors are extremely better screened than any military personnel. If you think that the military doesn%27t have similar problems%2C you are living in a dream world. You will always have people who %27step over the line%27 in all lines of work%2C take your heads out of the sand and just look around. A handful of power seeking individuals do not make up even a small fraction of the good. Wearing a white shirt and tie and stealing billions from Americans without any worry of security is worse than a few young men doing stupid things in a war zone..I was in Viet Nam%2C thank god there was no cameras everywhere and people trying to make a quick buck off of a few pictures.
Clyde, America should have NEVER gone to Iraq. Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11 and America won't get another 9/11 if they pull out. WHY are so many Americans the most frightened people in the world? I live in Thailand where bombs go off in the south on an almost daily basis and I haven't met ONE Thai who is as frightened as most Americans. America really is a nation of fear and the laughing stock of the rest of the world!
This piece is way off base.Armed contractors aren't all "kil, kill, it's all about money" It is, howver, a lot about money, and the US relectance to call a draft, when they know that "boots ont the ground" is the only way to win a counter insurgent war. If we admit defeat, we're in for another 9/11-but nobody wants another Viet Nam draft. Tough choice. But the media isn't helping us any more now, than it did during Viet Nam. Bush and Dumsfeldt's privatization of the DoD is to blame!!! It's not just armed contractors: the entire process of war is in the hands of contractors who are in it for the money, and the Pentagon is looking to these guys as a second career when they do their 20 in the military. Their's no oversight, because most gov't workers realize that working for the US Fed is a crock, a steppng stone to someting better.
Great piece.
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