Half-price Colombian fighters offered for Iraq

Half-price Colombian fighters offered for Iraq

What’s that on a budget, can’t afford an American or British mercenary force to overthrow your countries government. Or maybe just stay in power.
Well you prays have been answered.
You can now get your very own merc for half the going rate, yes that’s true why pay 5 to 10 thousand a month.
Colombian fighter will work for half the going rate.

An American company operating out of Ecuador claims to have signed up 1,000 Colombian police and military staff to work as hired guns.

www.abc.net.au...

You get what you pay for.............NO?

It' does sound kind'a wierd.......what will happen when they return home to there country.....that has it's own war?

Y'r Canadian friend,
Sven

Perhaps it is a cost of living thing?
Not sure, but countries in Central America are generally poor and a merc from that region making "$US2,500 to $US5,000 a month" is a jackpot.

Btw, do you make 2,500 or 5,000 a month?
Think about it, this is in US dollars. We are talking $30,000 to $60,000 dollars a year or for 12-months, if they stay that long.
How many people in this world do you know make that kind of money?
Example: The average per capita, per year of:
US-$39731.63 per person
UK-$29483.07 per person
France-$28636.81 per person
Germany-$28654.13 per person
Etc.
How many in Central America make that kind of money?
Columbia has a per capita of $6544.16 per person, a year.

So, in short, your beef is that these mercs from Central America do not make what their counterparts from the UK and US do, despite these Columbian mercs making nearly a years salary in one to three month?
Interesting, especially when applied to where these mercs host from.






seekerof

[edit on 14-8-2005 by Seekerof]

Why do I countinuely get the feeling liberals do not like helping out foreigners?

The per cap GDP in Colombia is $6.6k, so that means at the proposed minimum $2.5k per month, in just 3 months the Colombian merc has made more than what the average Colombian makes per year, 9month vacation! That means if he manages $60k a year with a bonus he will be 10x richer than the average Colombian on return arrival.
Goddamn that US for helping out some third world douchbags, ooo it makes me mad! (bad sarcasm)

Well we are just outsourcing everything nowadays, on the bright side though columbians are pretty aggresive so

Who's going to keep track of these Colombian hired guns to make sure they're not killing civilians?

Who holds them accountable if they do kill civilians or commit other criminal acts?

This just sounds like a bad idea.

The contractors that are already there kill about a dozen civilians every week and those are the British and Americans with high levels of training. I think the Colombians may be even worse.

Originally posted by Seekerof
countries in Central America are generally poor and a merc from that region making "$US2,500 to $US5,000 a month" is a jackpot.

Btw, do you make 2,500 or 5,000 a month?
Think about it, this is in US dollars. We are talking $30,000 to $60,000 dollars a year or for 12-months, if they stay that long.
How many people in this world do you know make that kind of money?
Example: The average per capita, per year of:
US-$39731.63 per person
UK-$29483.07 per person
France-$28636.81 per person
Germany-$28654.13 per person

How many in Central America make that kind of money?

[edit on 14-8-2005 by Seekerof]

Average per capita doesn’t mean anything…in the US it’s actually around $40,000 but you also has to realize there is a BIG per capita GAP b/w citizens in the US and UK. Your poverty level in the CIA world fact book says 12% but other studies have shown close to 20% like the UK, you guys also have a big problem with child poverty. When there is a high concentration of Rich people, it will be followed by a lot of poor people as well. Balance....

Darth Tinku, your point has what to do with this discussion, exactly?
Am I missing something here, cause when I do the math, these Columbian mercs are making more than they would in their own native country, regardless of average per capita meaning nothing....






seekerof

It has nothing really with this thread, just pointing out some inconsistencies with your original argument about how you said “How many people in this world do you know make that kind of money” referring to your chart and that takes the average of GDP (PPP)/Amount of people in that specific country. So if the country has larger younger population under the working age, who doesn’t work probable, it really distorts those figures. And plus different products cost different amounts in other countries and people usually live simpler lives over there. Not everyone in the world has a computer, car, 5 tvs, etc.

Odd post for sure. Colombian SF are U.S. swapped and trained. 7th SF have been training Colombian's for a long time. They have been fighting FARC and NLA guerilla's for years. So in reference to the "you get what you pay for," doesn't apply. I highly doubt the DOD is going to allow regular Lancero's to operate. It's a "who you know" deal.

Not much jungle in Iraq.

Originally posted by vincere7
Odd post for sure. Colombian SF are U.S. swapped and trained. 7th SF have been training Colombian's for a long time. They have been fighting FARC and NLA guerilla's for years.

They haven't been able to defeat the FARC insurgents (and that's in their own territory) so why would they be able to defeat the Iraqi insurgents?

It sounds like they are having the exact same problem in Colombia as the US is having in Iraq. Perhaps there's a problem with the US methods of fighting insurgencies.

BBC 1 August 2005
Just as soon as the army has contained one rebel action, another appears in a different part of the country.

But for over a week the guerrillas have been tightening their grip on the southern province of Putumayo.

The civil population is terrified and the transport companies refuse to operate as the guerrillas have promised to burn any buses or trucks that move.

Nobody believes the government assurances of protection.

The Farc tactics may be changing but the aim remains the same - to discredit the US-backed government of President Alvaro Uribe, to ensure he is not re-elected next year.

The guerrillas want a president not quite so cosy with the White House and more amenable to negotiate on rebel terms.

as posted by AceOfBase
Perhaps there's a problem with the US methods of fighting insurgencies.

Yeah, AceOfBase, a problem that the Russians , the UK, the French, the Germans, etc, etc. had in historically fighting insurgencies.

Now what would that be, eh?
Hmmmmm.....





seekerof

[edit on 14-8-2005 by Seekerof]

Originally posted by Seekerof
Yeah, AceOfBase, a problem that the Russians , the UK, the French, the Germans, etc, etc. had in historically fighting insurgencies.

Now what would that be, eh?
Hmmmmm.....

seekerof

Could it be that in each of those cases, with the exception of the UK, those Nations had invaded other countries that they didn't belong in?
Hmmmmm.....

The UK did defeat their insurgents in Ireland and in the Southern part of Iraq under their control. Perhaps they know something the US doesn't.

Umm, AceOfBase, historically, including the UK, nations have insurgency problems when invading, be it justly or not.

Your exclusion of the UK is ludicrous.
Better take a look at some African, Indian [India], etc. history.
You know, the age when Western European colonialization was globally rampant. Nice try...not.

Hmmm....






seekerof

[edit on 14-8-2005 by Seekerof]

Do they have deserts in there home country ?

I know it gets hot there but is it a dif. kind'a hot in the Desert Dry heat.

Y'r Canadian friend,
Sven

Originally posted by Seekerof
Umm, AceOfBase, historically, including the UK, nations have insurgency problems when invading, be it justly or not.
seekerof

I was thinking more along the lines of modern insurgencies and was thinking of the UK dealing with the IRA.

At any rate AceOfBase, IMHO, to me, the insurgencies of today are no different than the insurgencies of the past or pre-modern era, per se', barring tactics, etc.
I had to read this book last year for a class I was taking in military history.
Not to be sarcastic, may I humbly suggest it as a possible future read?
Modern Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies: Guerrillas and Their Opponents Since 1750
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY required reading

Was quite informative and a learning experience for me. A good eye-opener. I also found a particular read on Mao Tse-tung was quite useful, as well, dealing with the guerrilla doctrine of the People's War that Ho Chi Minh and North Vietnam used against the French and the US in Vietnam.





seekerof

[edit on 14-8-2005 by Seekerof]

Originally posted by AceOfBase
They haven't been able to defeat the FARC insurgents (and that's in their own territory) so why would they be able to defeat the Iraqi insurgents?

Who said anything about Colombian SF defeating insurgents? Ever hear of combat experience? The goal is experience and a paycheck ace, nothing more.

Originally posted by AceOfBase
It sounds like they are having the exact same problem in Colombia as the US is having in Iraq. Perhaps there's a problem with the US methods of fighting insurgencies.

There are only 150,000 troops in Iraq, a country of 26,000,000. I don't see a problem, as long as we continue with pulling troops, continue training Iraqi's, and providing business for them.

Originally posted by AceOfBase
The [FARC] guerrillas want a president not quite so cosy with the White House and more amenable to negotiate on rebel terms.

Yes so they can export more coc aine to the U.S. and to Europe.




[edit on 14-8-2005 by vincere7]