Saturday, June 26, 2010
Blackwater guard
Xe Services, the new name for the controversial security firm Blackwater, is not hurting for business these days with the U.S. government. Despite getting thrown out of Iraq, and facing criminal and civil cases for its involvement in a deadly firefight that killed 17 Iraqis in Baghdad in 2007, Xe has won a $100 million contract from the CIA to guards its facilities in Afghanistan and other locations.
The deal follows a $120 million agreement Xe signed with the State Department to guard U.S. consulates under construction in Afghanistan.
A CIA official would not confirm the awarding of the contract to Xe, but did say that two other companies, Triple Canopy and DynCorp International, did bid on the work. A DynCorp spokeswoman, however, told The Washington Post that the company did not compete for the contract.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
CIA Gives Blackwater Firm New $100 Million Contract (by Jeff Stein, Washington Post)
Blackwater's New Contract Will Be Buzz of Hearing (by Jeff Stein, Washington Post)
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