Namibia: 2 Americans Deported in Iraq Hiring

Source: New York Times

Namibia said it had deported two Americans who, allied with a South African firm, were said to be recruiting Namibians as guards for United States operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

News reports said that the two were accused of violating Namibian law by trying to enlist Namibians as mercenaries in foreign conflicts without the government’s written permission. Their recently formed company, Special Operations Consulting-Security Management Group, was reported to be trying to hire as many as 4,000 guards.

on edit: Here's an additional article with some more detail. Apparently this shadowy company was comprised of former US military:

http://allafrica.com/stories/200710160505.html

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/16/world/africa/16briefs-namibia.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

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Wow, now we're scouring NAMIBIA for fresh bodies to throw into the quagmire. The article is pretty lean on details, but is this a new development?

Source: The Mercury

WINDHOEK: The government of Namibia has deported two Americans for trying to recruit Namibians to do security work at United States military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to newspaper reports.

The deported men had recently registered a company called Special Operations Consulting - Security Management Group, which, according to the reports, had tried to recruit about 4 000 Namibians for guard duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The Security Commission found that the involvement of Namibian nationals in such armed conflicts has serious short- and long-term national security implications on the interests of Namibia at home and abroad," a statement issued by the information ministry said.

<snip>

The Namibian constitution does not allow Namibians to join the security forces of other countries without the prior written permission of the government. - Sapa-dpa

Read more: http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4083832

this corporate-colonialist-mercenary crap has got to stop!


http://soc-smg.com/

although it is very seldom that the laws are enforced in either country (Namibia was part of apartheid South Africa)

the troops recruited are almost all white ex-apartheid military and make top dollar,

Part of the reason for the general acceptance of the mercenary industry is it is seen as keeping trouble makers busy outside of the country.

New Orleans.

from my limited knowledge of Namibia I would think it would be hard to find 4,000 white men fitting the description you give. The country has about 85,000 white people. Assuming half are women, that would mean that SOC-SMG, Inc. was aiming to hire one of every ten white men in the country. That seems rather fantastical.

Sure, I think there are mercenaries in Iraq making top dollar...But I'm also sure that there are other outfits using "cheap labor" mercenaries.

The military of Namibia is more or less the border patrol with about a dozen chinese jets, if they were looking for cheap mercs they would be in Angola or the Congo. I have no idea where the 4000 number comes from, other more detailed reports don't mention a number, but specified they were looking for experienced troops and I doubt their looking for old Bush War rebels in their 60's.

these companies make me want to yak! the world's mercenaries, but they never come out and say so. good on Namibia; i hope more countries wise up and do the same.

Can you imagine Russian "security" contractors coming over here and recruiting Americans to serve as armed guards for Russians in Chechnya and Iran and elsewhere?

This is globalization in its scariest form.