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US lawmakers push to phase out wartime contractors - In the middle of a war.
WASHINGTON Two lawmakers announced legislation Monday that would force the United States to phase out its controversial use of private security contractors in war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan.Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky and Independent Senator Bernie Sanders said they planned to introduce the "Stop Outsourcing Security Act" on Tuesday. "The legislation would restore the responsibility of the American military to train troops and police, guard convoys, repair weapons, administer military prisons, and perform military intelligence," their offices said. "The bill also would require that all diplomatic security be undertaken by US government personnel," they said. The US reliance on private security contractors has drawn heavy fire, notably after a 2007 incident in which employees of Blackwater, since renamed Xe, were accused of shooting to death 17 civilians in Baghdad. Posted by: Besoeker 2010-02-23 |
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