The US Department of Labor has released data showing that more than 1,000 private military contractors have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, in response to a Freedom of Information request filed by Reuters.
The number is based on insurance claims filed on behalf of contractors that had been killed, and includes both US and foreign contractors.
As of March 2007, an additional 10,569 contractors have been wounded in Iraq and 2,428 in Afghanistan.
There are disputes about the exact number of contractors in Iraq, but it is estimated to be between 130,000 and 180,000 US-paid private military contractors, compared to 157,000 US military personnel.
Despite suggestions that private military contractors such as Blackwater USA and the British intelligence firm Aegis serve as “mercenaries”, not all carry out security or combat missions, and those killed have been as varied as electrical engineer Ronald Schulz, translator Kim Sun-il and truck driver Murat Yuce.
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