In a largely invisible cost of the war in Iraq, nearly 800 civilians working under contract to the Pentagon have been killed and more than 3,300 hurt doing jobs normally handled by the U.S. military, according to figures gathered by The Associated Press.

They make pretty good money, but would you take the risk?

they are problaby haliburton employees so who cares?

So just because they work for Haliburton, that is an excuse for their deaths? Am I hearing you correctly on that? Just because they work for Haliburton? Not that they are Americans.

Theres thousands of ex military people working as security guards for major companies in Iraq, these guys, usually made up of Special Forces, SAS, Foreign Legion Australian SAS and the South African one whose name I cant remember, anyway these guys ar a law onto themselves, answer to no one and are being increaseingly targeted by insurgents, that said, in Afghanistan their supposed to be worse.

PS. The word mercenary comes to mind.