Armed Vultures in the International In/Security Business.

First impressions of Kabul can only be described as contradictory. For starters, Afghan people are probably the kindest, friendliest and most gracious folk I've had the pleasure to encounter across the five continents and 30 plus countries I've had the privilege to visit in my short but hectic little life. But the contradictions already start right there - because when I say the Afghan people, I mean Afghan men, as the only Afghan woman I've had contact with here was a fashion designer I met at a high class dinner party the other night and who lives in San Francisco. And then there's the infrastructure. Now it certainly ain't Zurich, and many roads and pavements aren't in the best condition, but it's also not ravaged and falling apart in the way that Luanda in Angola was when I visited there last year. The evidence of war here is not in the form of buildings blown to shit and bullet holes everywhere, the stink of open sewage and scores of legless war victims in make-shift wheelchairs - rather a shocking proliferation of guns. It seems like half the population is armed to the teeth, either as one of the half a dozen official government agencies - police, military police, traffic police, local police, national police, army etc. etc... - or as private security. There are literally thousands of these guys. About every 20 meters down every street is a little chap wearing an ill fitting paramilitary uniform and brandishing a beat up and rusting AK47. It's like the whole city is in a constant state of readiness for some shit to go off, but actually it very rarely does. It's down in Helmond province that bullets are actually flying and bombs are blowing shit up. And then there's the ex-pats - Brits, South Africans, Australians, Americans - 90% of who are working as "logistic consultants" for private security firms. They are all former military who at some point realised there's much more money to be made in the private sector. War is big business, and there's rich pickings for these cowboys if they've got big enough balls and small enough scruples. Their clients are mostly the armed forces here who often lack personnel and infrastructure, for anything from transporting goods and equipment to providing personal security for big wigs. And there's some serious money involved. I was talking to one guy who before setting up his own company was employed to offer "discrete" security for important Americans - so would follow the client at a distance of 30 or so meters with concealed weapons and in plain clothes. The cost of this service? $36,000 a month of American tax payers money. And then of course there's the still darker job of "neutralizing strategic targets" without running the risk of accountability should the operation be less covert than intended. These mercenaries will go where ever the action is. One guy told me Afghanistan was great now as it was like Iraq in 2005.

These armed and dangerous vultures really are a law unto themselves and some scary mutha fuckers.

Meanwhile... I am actually out here to help shoot a documentary on healthcare issues in Afghanistan. And there are some serious frickin healthcare issues here. More on that tomorrow.

PEACE.