Blowing Off Steam
by digby
Drunken brawls, prostitutes, hazing and humiliation, taking vodka shots out of buttcracks— no, the perpetrators of these Animal House-like antics aren’t some depraved frat brothers. They are the private security contractors guarding Camp Sullivan, otherwise known as the US Embassy in Kabul. These allegations, and many more, are contained in a letter sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday by the Project on Government Oversight, which has been investigating the embassy security contract held by ArmorGroup North America (a subsidiary of Wackenhut, which is in turn owned by the security behemoth G4S). The contractor was the subject of a congressional probe earlier this summer that found serious lapses in the company’s handling of the embassy security contract, which internal State Department documents said left the embassy compound “in jeopardy.” Nevertheless, the government opted to extend the company’s 5-year, $189 million contract for another year.
It would be wrong to look in the rearview mirror and play the blame game here. After all, if we hold anyone accountable for such behavior, these fine Americans will refuse to guard the embassy for fear they’ll be investigated and then the terrorists will win.
By the way, this is just the latest in a long line of similar crimes committed by our vaunted, overpaid “security” companies overseas. This one, featuring sex slaves rings in Bosnia comes to mind.