Riz Khan - US MILITARY CONTRACTORS IN AFGHANISTAN

Currently in Afghanistan, there are 121000 US contractors and 68000 US troops. As a result of the coming surge, another 30000 troops and 56000 contractors are expected. But US lawmakers are afraid that the mistakes that plagued military contracting in Iraq will be repeated in Afghanistan. Will the shadow armies be required to protect the Afghan civilian population? What are the chances that military contractors could cause major damage to Americas mission in Afghanistan? Will the Obama administration be able to prevent the waste, fraud and abuse seen in Iraq? In a globalised world, perhaps it was inevitable that private companies would become major players in diplomacy. But the fact is that contractors are doing the job that the State Department, Pentagon and CIA once did on their own. Recently the CIA announced that it had stopped using Blackwater (now known as Xe Services) to conduct raids and other special operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but some press reports say Xe Services are still at the center of a secret program in Karachi, Pakistan, where they plan assassinations of suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda members, among other operations. In this episode, we examine the role of US military contractors in Afghanistan as the US widens its footprint there. Joining Riz is Dov Zakheim, who was the Comptroller of the US Department of Defense from 2001-2004. He was also the coordinator of civilian programs in Afghanistan for the Pentagon from 2002-2004. He currently is a <b>...</b>
Author: AlJazeeraEnglish
Duration: 22:23



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Riz Khan - US MILITARY CONTRACTORS IN AFGHANISTAN