Crescent Security Group

Crescent Security was a private security firm operating in Iraq, based out of Kuwait and managed by U.S. nationals.

On November 16th, 2006, five contractors working for Crescent were kidnapped at a fake check point in Iraq. They were subsequently killed by their kidnappers. Their bodies were returned to their families in March and April 2008.

The company is now defunct. A July 2007 Washington Post article stated, "The firm leaves behind a trail of broken lives and a record of alleged misconduct. In March, the U.S. military barred Crescent from U.S. bases after it was found with weapons prohibited for private security companies, including rocket launchers and grenades, according to documents and interviews with former Crescent employees and U.S. officials. ... Crescent violated U.S. military regulations while being paid millions of dollars to support the U.S.-led mission in Iraq. The company routinely sacrificed safety to cut costs."

http://home.freecote.com/img/shared/five-iraq-captives.jpg

Joshua Munns, Jonathon Cote, John Young, Bert Nussbaumer, and Paul Reuben.

Contact details
Phone: +965 390 3184 website: http://www.crescentsecurity.com/index.htm

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Iraq
 * Private military contractors

External resources

 * "Video released of 5 kidnapped contractors," YouTube.com, posted January 3, 2007.
 * "Free Cote," YouTube.com, posted January 21, 2008.
 * "Iraq Coalition Casualties: Contractors," icasualties.org
 * "Free Cote Website," FreeCote.com
 * "Save 5 Website," Save5.net

External articles

 * Steve Fainaru, "For Abducted Guards, Iraq Wasn't Just About Money: Diverse Motives Drew Men To Chaotic, Perilous Work," Washington Post, July 30, 2007.