# Contractors from hell

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contractors-from-hell/242820>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [April 30, 2004, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contractors-from-hell/242820 "2004-04-30T07:46:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contractors-from-hell/242820/1 "2004-04-30T07:46:49Z")

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Earlier there was a thread questioning the morality and possible difficulties of having [mercenaries](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=248640&highlight=mercenary) as a major force in Iraq and other conflicts. It looks like things are even [worse](http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1206725,00.html) than we had guessed.

> [@](#):
>
> Graphic photographs showing the torture and sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners in a US-run prison outside Baghdad emerged yesterday from a military inquiry which has left six soldiers facing a possible court martial and a general under investigation.
> 
> The scandal has also brought to light the growing and largely unregulated role of private contractors in the interrogation of detainees.
> 
> According to lawyers for some of the soldiers, they claimed to be acting in part under the instruction of mercenary interrogators hired by the Pentagon.

From that other thread:

> [@Machetero](#):
>
> I wonder if how well they treat the populace and/or how much they might side with one of the many factions might have contributed to the incident in Fallujah?

Apparently they are treating them rather badly.

> [@RTFirefly](#):
>
> Like the Guardian article says, the mercs are only subject to local laws, but they tend to be used mostly in “failed states” where local law is a sometimes thing at best. Yet they have as much freedom as US, British, etc. soldiers to use their firepower as they see fit.

So now the question is what is going to happen. Apparently the mercs aren’t necessarily under our jurisdiction while in Iraq, and I doubt that Iraq is ready to put them on trial. I am not even sure the US would allow it. What do we do with them and how do we prevent this in the future? As it is we are giving some seriously questionable people free reign with prisoners.

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**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2004, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contractors-from-hell/242820/2 "2004-05-01T05:02:12Z")

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Crosslink to  
[Contractors are in charge of interrogation in Iraq?!?!?!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=253827)