Independent, Bloomberg Estimate Most Contractors are Non-Combatants

Britain's left-wing Independent published an estimate that "put the number of private contractors working in Iraq at 160,000 from up to 300 separate companies." However, the article explains that only "about 50,000 were private security guards from companies such as Blackwater." In other words, less than one third of the contractors in Iraq are engaged in combat duties. The vast majority of contractors handle food, laundry, supplies, communications and other logistical functions. Bloomberg media put the figure even lower: 7,300 security contractors out of a told of 137,000 in Iraq. So next time you read that there are a hundred and some odd thousand "mercenary soldiers" in Iraq, set the record straight.