Abu Dhabi anticipates revolt; hires Black Water

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ABU DHABI: The billionaire founder of Blackwater Worldwide, a scandal-plagued American security firm accused of abuses in Iraq, has been hired by the crown prince of Abu Dhabi to put together an 800-member battalion of foreign troops.

Erik Prince, who came to live in the United Arab Emirates last year after his security business faced mounting legal problems in the US, is using $529 million from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the defacto ruler of the UAE, to complete the mission, according to corporate documents, former employees on the project and US officials.

The force is intended to conduct special operations inside and outside the country, defend oil pipelines and skyscrapers from terrorist attacks and put down internal revolts.

Such troops could be deployed if the UAE faced unrest, or was challenged by democracy protests in its crowded labour camps in the oil fields or like those sweeping the Arab world this year.

The UAE hopes the troops can also blunt the aggression of Iran, the country's biggest foe.

Their training camp is on a sprawling Emirati base called Zayed Military City and the first recruits include Colombians, South Africans and other foreign troops trained by retired US soldiers, veterans of German and British special operations units and the French Foreign Legion.

Blackwater security guards were accused of killing 14 Iraqi civilians in 2007. Last month, a US appeals court reopened the prosecution of four of these former guards.

The Colombians entered the UAE posing as construction workers. Contracts show the recruits would be paid about $US150 ($A142) a day.

In outsourcing critical parts of their defence to mercenaries - the soldiers of choice for mediaeval kings, Italian Renaissance dukes and African dictators - the Emiratis have begun a new era in the boom in wartime contracting since the September 11, 2001, attacks. And by relying on a force largely created by Americans, they have introduced a volatile new element in an already combustible region where the US is viewed with suspicion.

The UAE - an autocracy with the sheen of a progressive, modern state - is closely allied with the US, and American officials indicated the battalion program had some support in Washington.

Knowing his ventures are magnets for controversy, Mr Prince has masked his involvement with the mercenary battalion. His name is not on contracts or other corporate documents, and company insiders have at times tried to hide his identity by referring to him as ''Kingfish.''

Some security consultants believe Mr Prince's efforts to bolster the Emirates' defences against an Iranian threat might yield some benefits for the US government, which shares the UAEs' concern about Iran.

The Emirates wanted the troops ready to deploy just weeks after stepping off the plane, but it quickly became clear the Colombians' military skills fell below expectations. ''Some of these kids couldn't hit the broad side of a barn,'' said a former employee. Other recruits admitted to having never fired a weapon.

As a result, the veteran commandos training the battalion have had to rethink their roles. They had planned to act only as ''advisers'' during missions but over time they realised that they would have to fight side by side with their troops, former officials said. (AFP)