October 29, 2010 - In Afghanistan, there has been a test of wills in recent weeks between President Hamid Karzai and the international community. At issue is whether private security firms should be allowed to continue working in the country.
For nearly five years, Karzai has criticized the use of private security companies in Afghanistan and said they should be banned. These private firms help guard development and reconstruction projects around the country.
There are more than 50 registered private security firms that employ anywhere from 40,000 to 50,000 international and local guards. There are at least 50 additional firms that are unregistered, which the government wants to disband immediately.
As the US military presence is continued in Afghanistan, the private security firms are repeatedly accused of corruption and even plotting to lay bombs across the country to upset the shaky situation in the war-hit country. President Karzai has openly charged the contractors with conspiring in terrorist operations in Afghanistan.
In this edition of Press TV's News Analysis, Kaveh Taghvai asks his guests if the contractors are into terrorism. Let's watch and see what Kaveh's guests, Jim Brann, Gareth Porter and Saeed Khamoush, have to say to answer this question.
