The work of security companies grew in Iraq after the US invasion of the country in 2003, when former US civilian governor Paul Bremer granted them freedom to work to perform their duties and provide protection services, and they were registered in the Directorate of Registration and Evaluation of Private Security Companies of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, and after that the work of local companies began.

According to security analysts, the majority of these companies are linked to the armed arms of the influential parties in the country to prevent a clash with them or facilitate their work, and in this way security company officials in Baghdad can obtain traffic permits and weapons permits.

These facilities resulted in a mysterious theft incident that a security company was exposed to in the Karrada neighborhood in central Baghdad a few days ago, which raised many questions in the Iraqi street about who was behind it, and is it a trick to seize the stolen equipment and money?

Circumvention and circumvention

After investigation and investigations conducted by the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior, it was found that the accident was premeditated and orchestrated by the company itself to avoid paying the required dues to the ministry after the end of its contract.

The company resorted to this trick to show that the matter was just an incident of theft, as reported by the media.

Iraqi security officials - who refused to reveal their names - confirm that the incident occurred last week during the first days of the partial ban imposed in Baghdad to limit the spread of the Corona pandemic, during which 21 wheels (vehicles) were stolen and an amount of 110 million Iraqi dinars (about 75 thousand dollars) and more. From 35 Kalashnikov assault rifles.

The company in question is headquartered in Karbala, south of Baghdad, and the theft occurred in its main branch in Baghdad, and it is not obligated to pay any dues to the Ministry of Interior in the event of any theft, according to the official contracts signed with the security companies.

According to these contracts, the Ministry of Interior has the right to confiscate all equipment, including weapons, cars, and money belonging to the security companies contracting with it, if their contract expires.

These companies renew their approval or work with the ministry in the event that they have a contract with one of the officially recognized banks, such as the Central Bank of Iraq.

Al-Muhanna considered the theft incident a betrayal of trust and disagreements within the company (Al-Jazeera)

Internal response

Official sources of the Ministry of Interior denied the existence of some kind of fraud in the law, according to the official spokesperson of the ministry Major General Khaled Al-Muhanna, who confirmed that the case was a betrayal of trust and differences between personalities within the company itself, and an arrest warrant was issued for the accused person, and he has not been arrested nor recovered the stolen items yet. .

Commenting on this, security analyst Sajjad Jiyad says that he was not surprised by this invented theft after several decades and investments that were passed under suspicions of corruption after 2003, especially those related to security and energy.

Regarding the accusations that are sometimes directed at the Ministry of the Interior of targeting private security companies to discredit them in order to promote companies associated with armed factions loyal to the parties in force instead, a spokesman for the ministry, requesting anonymity, said that there is a periodic inspection of these companies to determine their work, and not to take any contravening measures. For the agreed upon conditions, such as if the wheels are out of the specified duty.

He emphasized that the ministry had set a condition that the member of the security companies should be "relatives of martyrs", and after the approval of the Ministry of Interior for the work of any local company, it addresses the National Security to approve the granting of the license. As for foreign companies and their branches, the ministry submits its work proposal to the Council of Ministers for approval. As a prerequisite for granting leave.

Jiyad pointed out that targeting any security company by any government agency for the purpose of favoring and promoting other companies related to political and security bodies will cause the alienation of companies investing in Iraq or wishing to invest, and impede the work of oil companies that often contract with private security companies.

And stresses the need to activate the role of state agencies to combat corruption, because this issue affects the core of the Iraqi economy and is one of the most dangerous types of corruption in terms of results.

Mustafa confirmed that it is difficult for the theft to happen from outside the company due to the existence of a protection system (Al-Jazeera)

Manipulate contracts

For his part, the former employee of the "Taker Swan" security company in Baghdad, Khaldoun Mustafa, confirms the difficulty of any theft from an external source, due to the presence of a professional protection system for these companies, which prevents an offensive armed collision except in the case of defense only, unless cooperation is done with the employees of the company themselves.

He pointed out that local companies have recently become unprofessional in dealing with their employees, for example the contract may obligate a company to pay about a thousand dollars to the security guard, but in reality it pays him only $ 400, neglecting Social Security.

In the event of any robbery incident - according to Mustafa - the company terminates the services of the accused affiliate and addresses the Ministry of Interior about this matter, and some companies may turn away from addressing the Ministry and are content to terminate the contract only.

And he stresses that the security companies are silent about publishing any details of these incidents, especially those contracting with oil companies, in order not to negatively affect their reputation and contracts.

The headache of the oil companies

Commenting on this, British security analyst David Baines - who is interested in Iraqi affairs - believes that any kind of tricks carried out by contractors of security companies can cause great harm to oil companies in Iraq, and internal thefts of equipment and money sometimes occur in security companies, but it is the first time that they happen. It has theft with this great damage.

He considered that this incident is an example of the problems that international oil companies operating in Iraq often complain about, as the awarding of profitable security contracts to local companies often led to contractual disputes and the theft of equipment, whatever the aim was.

Baines believes that this type of internal theft occurs frequently, but the Ministry of Interior asks international oil companies to contract with local security companies instead of well-known international companies, and this is the danger for oil companies.