Four British Mercenaries killed in Baghdad Green Zone

Mortar attack in Baghdad�s Green Zone kills four

11/26/2004 6:45:00 PM GMT

The Green Zone has been the target of previous mortar attacks.

Four members of a British security firm were killed and 15 others injured in a mortar attack in Baghdad�s fortified Green Zone, the British Foreign Office and the U.S. military said on Friday.

"The mortar landed in their camp," a Britain's Foreign Office official said on condition of anonymity.

www.aljazeera.com...

This story shows two things : the massive use of mercenary forces by the US, and that insurgents have refined their mortar technique perhaps by using the well-known 'mortar circles'

As a British Citizen, I'm appauled. But it means that we're good enough to be recruited, just not well eneough to be protected by our contractors (I'm not implying I'm a mercenary).
But Mercs go out there to fight, do they not?

They are ex Gurkhas working for global and are not mercenaries but private security for people to free up specialist military personnel for operations.

Ps the company they work for is unofficially run by the UK govt for use in operations where regular personnel would if caught be an embarresment or politically sensitive.Ref Mr Mark Thatcher

[edit on 26-11-2004 by weirdo]

These are mercenaries. Global risk, Blackwater etc... are mercenary companies. They are used for the same kind of operations as soldiers : object guarding, interrogation etc... Keep in mind that most regular soldiers arent involved in direct face-to-face confrontation.

There is a slight differance between mercenaries and private security companies.Global employ people to protect none govt people ie businesses and contractors or areas where specialist are required in numbers that would stretch military personnel.
Mercenaries are basic ex soilders used for operations requiring basic military skills or training.

Sounds pretty much like the same thing to me, especially since these 'people' were involved in the interrogations and conformed to the usual mercenary image of dishonorable behaviour. You could perhaps make a distinction between front-line and back-line mercenaries.

Global employ people to protect other people, patrol etc...
Mercs are hired to fight as soldiers, usually illegaly because they don't want to risk their own soldiers!
Merc units are usually made up of ex-soldiers and millitary/weapons experts in need of some cash!

Four members of a British security firm were killed and 15 others injured in a mortar attack in Baghdad�s fortified Green Zone, the British Foreign Office and the U.S. military said on Friday.

Sad news,
this is another dark day for the UK

hmm 4 british mercs killed, sounds like the A-team, cept maybe cause they are british they could be the B-Team? lol

LOL! Very sad that people are still dying after a year and a half of fighting...