US studies legality of American-led private army (Financial Times): The US state department said on Sunday that it was examining the legality of an American-led private army that is being established in the United Arab Emirates.
Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater private security company, is establishing a counter-terrorism force of up to 800 foreign mercenaries in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, The New York Times reported on Sunday.
Mr Prince has been hired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, to recruit an American-led force of mainly South American former soldiers, through a company called R2, with a view to countering a perceived threat from Iran and bolstering domestic security, the report said.
“The department is aware of the R2 venture and is currently looking into it to make sure there are no potential International Traffic in Arms Regulations concerns,” a state department spokesman confirmed on Sunday. The regulations govern the sale of defence services as well as defence equipment.
Members of the new force have been trained since last summer by former special forces soldiers from the US, South Africa and European countries in a camp outside Abu Dhabi, the newspaper said.
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http://publicintelligence.net/state-department-investigating-legality-of-erik-princes-uae-private-army/Secret Desert Force Set Up by Blackwater’s Founder (New York Times):
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Erik Prince, Blackwater Founder, Sets Up Secret Desert Force In United Arab EmiratesWASHINGTON (Reuters) -
Blackwater, which once had lucrative contracts to protect U.S. officials in Iraq, became notorious in the region in 2007 when its guards opened fire in Baghdad traffic, killing at least 14 people in what the Iraqi government called a "massacre."
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According to former employees of the project and U.S. officials cited by the Times, the troops were brought to a training camp in the UAE from Colombia, South Africa and other countries, starting in the summer of 2010.
They were being trained by retired U.S. military, and former members of German and British special operations units and the French Foreign Legion, the Times said.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/15/erik-prince-blackwater-united-arab-emirates_n_862098.html