Working as a 'hired gun' in Iraq

After leaving the Army, James Ashcroft worked in security protection in Iraq. The former captain, who reveals his experiences in a new book, says the dangerous but lucrative work attracts thousands of ex-soldiers from the UK.

James did an 18-month security contract in Iraq

"The silence ended with a terrific explosion as the car vanished in a violent cloud of smoke and flame. The car bomb was followed instantly by small-arms fire from the flat-roofed building."

Vivid descriptions of conflict fill 'Making a Killing', but James Ashcroft, writing under a pseudonym, is remembering scenes from his 18 months as a private security contractor rather than his six years in the Army.

James, 38, who served in Bosnia and West Belfast, returned to his original career of law after resigning his commission.

But in his book, he says the "excitement of civvy street faded in about five minutes" and he was soon fed-up with "the harrowing commute on a filthy transport system".

It was therefore not a difficult decision when a friend from his former regiment telephoned in 2003 to ask if he wanted to work as a security contractor in Baghdad.

He told the BBC News website that his UK employer Spartan protected politicians, journalists and people involved in Iraq's reconstruction.

Taken on for their military backgrounds and expertise, "hired guns" were paid between $500 (£265) and $1,000 (£530) a day to provide armed protection.

Trouble spots

"The press wanted to get out to the trouble spots to see what was going on and get the best quotes and sound bites. And those involved in reconstruction needed to get out to different areas to see what damage had been done," he said.

He said the firm also "very quickly" became involved in raising and training the Iraqi guard force.

The security men spent lots of dollars on guns and equipment

James said around 30% of America's $89bn reconstruction package, set out in May 2003, was earmarked for security and this turned Iraq into a "gold rush".

When he arrived that autumn, he estimated there were already 15,000 private security contractors in Iraq, mostly from the UK.

At that time he found conditions in Baghdad as he expected with "pockets of insurgency".

"It was fairly safe for people like me," he said. "We still ate in local restaurants and shopped in local shops. But quite quickly it started to collapse into chaos."

It's more a question of avoidance than playing Russian Roulette James Ashcroft

One way this became apparent was by the growing number of deaths of foreign journalists, he said.

"By Christmas 2003, we were just seeing a lot of violence not reported in the news," he said.

"And previously, press were regarded as off-limits and believed themselves to be safe if they had a press card, but this changed."

James said it was a similar story for people involved in Iraq's reconstruction and protecting them became increasingly dangerous.

He said it was a "misconception" that the ex-soldiers were seeking an adrenalin rush, and instead, their work was about planning the route early using local knowledge, to get people to places safely.

"If something happened you were either in the wrong place at the wrong time or someone had decided to have a go at you," he said.

"It's more a question of avoidance than playing Russian Roulette."

The Iraq Coalition Casualty Count website includes a "partial list" of contractors killed in the country. The 354 people listed include many killed doing security work.

However, James believes the job continues to attract thousands of ex-soldiers from the UK and estimates there are more than 8,000 of them still in Iraq.

He said he knew one young marine, involved in the initial invasion of Iraq, who met around 50 men from his old unit during just one week in the car park of the US embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone.

"It's definitely the money, and the job seems to be worthwhile," he said.

He said there was less work available now, but was convinced all security contractor jobs would be easily filled.

The high salaries enabled ex-soldiers from London to pay off their mortgages, he said. Others from South Africa bought farms back home.

'Ethically acceptable'

James said many security workers were ex-soldiers from the US and he also met "handfuls" from other countries including Poland and Serbia.

The ex-soldiers bring their military expertise to the job

In Iraq, he said, most of the local population were grateful and supportive and the fight was against the insurgents.

"Providing security to aid reconstruction is seen as ethically acceptable," he said.

As well as earning "three or four times" more than soldiers, security staff were not "pushed to the limit", such as not getting enough sleep, and enjoyed benefits such as their own rooms, DVDs and air-conditioning, James said.

However, on operations soldiers had the advantage of being able to call reinforcements.

James left Iraq at the end his contract and now lives a quieter life with his family in West Africa, working as a security consultant. But he added that "maybe" he would one day return to security contract work.