ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, May 15 (UPI) -- The founder of Blackwater is building a secret mercenary army in the the United Arab Emirates, former employees and U.S. officials say.
Erik Prince moved to Abu Dhabi under legal pressure in the United States and was hired by the crown prince to set up an 800-member force for the oil-rich but poorly defended gulf sheikdom, The New York Times reported Sunday, citing sources and corporate papers.
Prince's force is being trained to conduct missions inside and outside the UAE, protect pipelines and cities and put down revolts like those sweeping the rest of the Arab world, the documents show. Deterring Iran is also a major concern.
The soldiers are mainly from Latin America, since Prince has decreed that Muslims cannot be trusted to kill fellow Muslims, former staffers tell the Times.
But many of the officers training them are retired U.S. and European military. Legal experts and officials said some people involved in the unit may be violating laws that bar U.S. citizens from training foreign troops without a State Department license.
Department spokesman Mark Toner would not confirm whether Prince's firm had a license, but said the training is being investigated.
Prince has sold Blackwater, now called Xe Services, which paid $42 million in fines last year for training foreign troops.
