WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today called for stepped up oversight of the thousands of private security contractors in Iraq.
“Any American working in Iraq, whether military or civilian, represents our country,” said Giffords, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “Their behavior directly affects how America is seen in the eyes of not only the Iraqis, but the world. We cannot allow any of them to operate in a legal vacuum.”
The Tucson lawmaker raised the issue this afternoon with Admiral William Fallon, the commander U.S. Central Command who testified before the Armed Services Committee on the state of American military operations in Iraq. Giffords told the admiral she was concerned about the unclear legal status of private security contractors after reading a recent front page story in The Washington Post.
The Post reported that private security contractors “operate outside most of the laws that govern American forces” and have had immunity from the Iraqi legal process since 2004. The story details numerous incidents in which contractors are alleged to have committed acts which, if committed by a member of the U.S. armed forces, would have resulted in criminal charges.
With at least 20,000 security contractors in Iraq, Giffords said she was disturbed that neither the military nor the contractors themselves appear to know what laws, if any, apply to their conduct.
“There must be accountability,” Giffords said. “Maintaining the highest standards of professional conduct is not optional. Admiral Fallon assured me today he understands that the behavior of security contractors will affect the cooperation his troops receive from the Iraqi people and his ability to be successful in Iraq. We owe it to our troops in harm’s way to prevent security contractor incidents like those described in the Washington Post.”