• ABC News

Same Blackwater, Different Names. Xe also operates under the names Paravant and XPG. ...Other Prince-owned companies that have received government contracts include Greystone, Raven, Constellation, US Training Center, GSD Manufacturing, and Presidential Airlines. The companies are among a total of 20 different limited liability corporations owned by Prince and registered to the same address as Blackwater-Xe. By Matthew Cole, February 1, 2010: click here

More news items focusing on the Blackwater family of companies available at our BLACKWATER NEWS page

Kabul U.S. Embassy Guard: Sexual Deviancy Required for Promotion. In an interview with ABC News for broadcast tonight on the "World News with Charles Gibson," the guard, a U.S. military veteran, said top supervisors of the ArmorGroup were not only aware of the "deviant sexual acts" but helped to organize them. By Brian Ross, Rhonda Schwartz, and Kirit Radia, September 2, 2009: click here

• AllAfrica.com

East Africa: Soldiers of Fortune. Events playing out in Somalia in the past one month almost look like a sequel to Black Hawk Down, the harrowing tale of how an ill-conceived mission by an elite team of American special forces went bad. By Christine Mungal, December 27, 2010: click here

Equatorial Guinea: Govt Frees Mercenaries. The government of Equatorial Guinea has freed four South African mercenaries jailed for plotting to overthrow President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, South Africa's foreign ministry has announced. November 3, 2009: click here

Equatorial Guinea: The Trial of Simon Mann Opens in Malabo. The trial of British mercenary Simon Mann, allegedly having tried to overthrow the government of the oil rich African country Equatorial Guinea, in March, 2004, is on. By Alexander von Paleske, June 19, 2008: click here

Sierra Leone: More Revelations On 'Blood Diamonds.' Energem Resources which has just launched itself on the London stock market as a renewable-energy business is the same firm in which illegally traded diamonds were used to finance civil wars in Africa. By Tanu Jalloh, January 4, 2008: click here

Sierra Leone: Lessons Of Sierra Leone Intervention Still Being Debated. The use of a multi-national military force in Sierra Leone to reinstall the nation's elected government has renewed the debate about the nature and goals of such operations. Should they take sides? Should they impose military solutions when diplomatic efforts fail? By George M. Kraw, May 19, 1998: click here

Angola: US Forces Guard Angolan Oilfields. American forces are taking over where Executive Outcomes left off, in the oil-rich Angolan enclave of Cabinda, writes Al J Venter. October 10, 1997: click here

• Asia Times Online

Armed contractors in firing line. A US Congress commission is to consider whether private contractors such as Xe Services, formerly known as Blackwater, should be allowed to continue to provide armed security. The bi-partisan commission will over two days cross-examine 14 witnesses from academia, government and the companies themselves. By Pratap Chatterjee, Jun 18, 2010: click here

Sex and security in Afghanistan. A report by the Washington, DC, Project on Government Oversight recently released publicly tells of the wild naked antics of members of ArmorGroup (AG). By David Isenberg, October 6, 2009: click here

An American 'foreign legion' emerges. By William Astore, 18 February 2009: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KB18Ak04.html

Mercenaries at work. By Chalmers Johnson, 30 July 2008: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JG30Ak03.html

Escalation in Iraq by the numbers. By Tom Engelhardt, 15 August 2007: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IH15Ak03.html

The Wild West of American intelligence. By Roman Kupchinsky, 2 June 2005: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GF02Ak02.html

Protecting Iraq's precarious pipelines. By David Isenberg, 24 September 2004: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FI24Ak01.html

War: Just whose business is it anyway? By William D Hartung, 10 March 2004: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FC10Ak01.html

Security for sale. By David Isenberg, 14 August 2003:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/EH14Aa01.html

Congress urged to monitor foreign military training. By Jim Lobe, 16 May 2002: http://www.atimes.com/front/DE16Aa01.html

• Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Private military contractors. The Law Report, ABC Radio National: Guests Ian Wing, Charles Sturt, Tim McCormack, Doug Brooks, Mary Picard, Researcher, Presenter Damien Carrick, 9 September 2008: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/lawreport/stories/2008/2356879.htm

Australia's war unreadiness. Unleashed: Jim Molan, 4 August 2008: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2321798.htm

Australia accused of helping spark Fiji coup. 2 April 2008: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/02/2206163.htm

UN investigates Iraq security contractors. The UN has also singled out the American military operations, expressing concern that too many civilians are being killed, particularly by air strikes. Shootings by private security contractors have caught the UN's attention too. AM - Presented by Tony Eastley - Reporter: Kim Landers. 12 October , 2007 08:16:00: TEXT | AUDIO

Australia offers to remove Fijians from PNG's Bougainville. Australia Network, 24 November 2006: http://australianetwork.com/news/stories/asiapacific_stories_1796450.htm

Fears Bougainville heading towards civil war. AM, 18 March 2006 08:14:49. Reporter: Steve Marshall: http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2006/s1594378.htm

Fijiian mercernaries on Bougainville. The World Today - Friday, 18 November 2005 12:30:00. Reporter: James Panichi: http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2005/s1509837.htm

Privatising War. Radio National Broadcast (The National Interest), Transcript, 26 September 2004, 12:00, Peter Mares interviews Peter Singer: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/nationalinterest/stories/2004/1205326.htm

Burn, Oil, Burn. Radio National Broadcast, Transcript, 12 September 2004, 09:10. Produced by Stan Correy: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/bbing/stories/s1199802.htm

Singirok cleared of sedition charge. By Shane McLeod (PM Archive), 2 March 2004: http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2004/s1057428.htm

Gunship for Hire. By Mark Corcoran (Travellers' Tales), 28 September 2000: http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/stories/s229144.htm

• AFP (Agence France-Presse)

Private Armed Escorts in High Demand on Sea. By Karl Malakunas, 11 May 2005: http://www.warprofiteers.com/article.php?id=12241 http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/features/featuredetail.asp?file=mayfeatures102005.xml

• BBC News (UK)

Afghan President Hamid Karzai 'to scrap private security firms in Afghanistan.' August 10, 2010: click here

UK hostages 'likely to be dead'. 29 July 2009: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8173653.stm | Hostage families appeal for release (video): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8175207.stm

Iraq releases three of five US contractors. 11 June 2009: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8094616.stm

Simon Mann sentenced for Equatorial Guinea plot. 7 July 2008: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7493717.stm

Yair Gal Klein to be sent to Colombia. 12 March 2008: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7291689.stm

Babcock to buy Devonport naval dockyard. 10 May 2007: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6641427.stm

South Africa's mercenary town. By Jonathan Charles, 9 November 2006: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/4946684.stm

MPs approve new South Africa mercenary bill. 30 August 2006: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/5297704.stm

Profile: French mercenary Bob Denard. 20 June 2006: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/5097580.stm

French 'dog of war' in coup trial. 20 February 2006:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/europe/4733494.stm

US investigates Iraq gunfire film. 10 December 2005:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/4515772.stm

Mercenaries 'fuel West African wars' . 13 April 2005: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4438497.stm

How many UK workers are in Iraq? 19 October 2004: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3676356.stm

UK firms in Iraq 'unaccountable'. 21 July 2004: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3914299.stm

Iraqi security in private hands. By Jeremy Scott-Joynt, 28 June 2004: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3842561.stm

Q&A: Private security in Iraq. 27 May 2004: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3747421.stm

Dogs of war into doves of peace. By Keith Somerville, 11 November 2002: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2403517.stm

Peacekeeping 'role' for mercenaries. 13 February 2002:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1817495.stm

• Boston Globe

Pakistan police raid security contractor- Firm helps protect the US embassy. By Nahal Toos and Munir Ahmad. 20 September 2009: click here

Military contracts have cost taxpayers $85 billion. By Kimberly Hefling, 13 August 2008: click here

Suicide bomber kills contractors in Afghanistan. By Noor Khan, 6 December 2006: click here

Report says Halliburton subsidiary exploited regulations. By Anne Plummer Flaherty, 28 October 2006: click here

US contractors in Iraq face peril, neglect. By Farah Stockman, 16 October 2006: click here

Amnesty urges tighter rules for contractors. By Danica Kirka, 24 May 2006: click here

Union voices concern on Army base guards. By Pete Yost, 7 September 2005: click here

Contractors detained after Marines fired on. AP, 10 June 2005: click here

US security contracts draw scrutiny. Questions raised on bidding process. By Matt Kelley, 1 January 2005: click here

Zimbabwe seizes plane carrying suspected mercenaries. US says no sign of tie to aircraft, passengers. "The plane was actually carrying 64 suspected mercenaries of various nationalities," Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi said. By Cris Chinaka (Reuters), March 9, 2004: TEXT

A new twist on a long military tradition. By Doug Brooks, 19 October 2003: click here

The Enron Pentagon. By Peter W. Singer, 19 October 2003: click here

• Boston Herald

Taliban strike aid group, kill 4 security contractors. Taliban suicide attackers stormed a four-story house in Kunduz used by U.S aid organization Development Alternatives Inc in north Afghanistan yesterday, killing four people before dying in a fierce, five-hour gunbattle with Afghan forces. By Associated Press, July 3, 2010: click here