£150m spent on mercenary bodyguards for officials in Iraq and Afghanistan

£150m spent on mercenary bodyguards for officials in Iraq and Afghanistan

Britain has spent £150m on mercenary bodyguards for diplomats and other officials in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

The amount paid to four private security firms employing many former special forces' troopers and other experienced soldiers equals the sum it would cost to run eight battalions of regular infantry for a year.The Foreign Office bodyguard bill has risen in Iraq from £19,121,598 in 2003-04 to £47,818,682 in 2005-06, the figures reveal. Costs in Afghanistan have gone up from £2,085,000 in 2004-05 to £8,543,000 in 2005-06.

The four companies named are Edinburgh Risk Security Management (ERSM), Control Risks Group(CRG), ArmorGroup and the Kroll Security Group(KSG).

Britain spends £150m on mercenary bodyguards (The Herald, 25 September 2006)