Valued for their experience in the fight against rebels, led by the government in Colombia, some ex-army and military officers from that country are heading to Iraq to work as mercenaries. An American company could be linked to their recruitment according to an article that appeared in the liberal El Tiempo a newspaper not known for being anti-American.

According to El Tiempo a retired colonel contacted 25 former army officers in the Colombian army by phone and invited them to a meeting on 2 December in a block of luxury apartments in the north of Bogotá. According to some who "attended the meeting" whose identities the newspaper knows, the retired colonel offered them the job of " protecting oil and gas lines and escorting staff from private companies to Baghdad, Mossul, Fallujah and Basra".

Last Friday, 16 of the 25 who attended the meeting had already gone to Iraq. Having retired recently, they have all had experience of commanding troops. Their contracts are for one year, renewable for a further 6 months with a monthly salary of $ 7000, life cover worth $58,0000 and several days leave every three months in a European city of their choice.

Should a signatory leave the job before the end of the contract, the total salary must be repaid.

A Colombian government spokesman quoted by El Tiempo confirmed, " the first group of Colombians has already left". The same source stated it had been informed some days ago of" the recruitment of Colombian personnel … whose experience in combating terrorism, crime and organised delinquency can be of use in Iraq".

Again according to those "who had attended the meeting " to recruit personnel on 2 December as quoted by El Tiempo, which would have taken place in the offices of Halliburton Latin America, a subsidiary of the petrol company Halliburton, whose director for the last five years has been Dick Cheney, the American vice-president and a cause of controversy with regard to the awarding of contracts in Iraq.

El Tiempo further stated that "Halliburton is reported to be one of 30 US companies in the world that use this form of recruitment, along with Blackwater USA, specialists in urban warfare, and DynCorp, that supports the fumigation of drug plantations in Colombia ".

The spokesman for the Halliburton in Colombia categorically denies any link with the recruiting of mercenaries for Iraq. " We have sent to Iraq some operational and administrative staff, but they are members of our company" their spokesman stated to El Tiempo. According to them the name of Halliburton could be used for fraudulent and dangerous purposes in order to capture mercenaries.

Based on enquiries made among American and British media, El Tiempo believes that there are about 10,000 mercenaries from Chile, Spain, South Africa, Ireland and now Colombia in Iraq. "This strategy is considered by international observers as a method whereby governments are spared unpopular military casualties" concluded the newspaper.