Iraq is a huge protection racket. Hire us or something bad might happen

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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/6c5bc281c442b675e815c53236eb7634.htm

IRAQ: Amid rising insecurity, Baghdad residents look to private security companies
10 May 2006 15:57:38 GMT
Source: IRIN

BAGHDAD, 10 May (IRIN) - Some residents of the capital say that private security companies represent the best way to guarantee their safety given the deteriorating security situation and the inability of police, military (Iraqi and US) and local militias to respect human rights.

"When you go out in the street and you see Iraqi police or army, you're afraid that you could be shot dead or arrested at any time," said 45 year-old Baghdad shopkeeper Abbas Kubaissy. "They behave outside the law and without the minimum respect for locals."

Often fearing for their lives, Baghdadis have learnt to keep their distance from the military convoys constantly rumbling down the city's streets, despite the fact that such convoys are ostensibly intended for their protection. "My two sons were killed because they got too close to an Iraqi police car," said Safa'a Madd'aa, 56, a Baghdad resident. "They shot them dead without the minimum of compassion."

Military officials, however, pointing to the tense security atmosphere, defend such actions as inevitable. "It can be seen as aggressive behaviour, but every Baghdadi is aware of the dangers faced by the Iraqi Army and police countrywide," said senior interior ministry officer Major Col. Hassan Ali. "They have been informed to stay away from convoys because terrorists are everywhere."