Not A Very Good Time to Be A Security Contractor

According to Al Jazeera, Kabul airport was the scene of four deaths by a member of the Taliban forces on a Thursday evening, three of which were American security contractors. The Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, had been the one to forward the message to the rest of the world. The area of the airport that was attacked by the lone gunman was stationed by members of military. Unfortunately, the contractors and other members of Afghan military were not alerted to the attackers presence due to the simple fact that he was wearing a uniform that was would be worn by an Afghan police officer. It is believed that the uniform was obtained because the Taliban member had managed to cause the Afghan forces to believe he was a member of their force, yet his true goal was entirely different than theirs. It is unknown what motivated such actions by one man, however, "an investigation has been opened." One possible theory as the why one would attack and kill such people (Private security contractors), is due to the immense hatred and animosity for contractors in the Middle East. In 2010, there were even individuals in Afghanistan who wished to ban the use of contractors in the country all together. The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, set a decree that stated all civilian contractors would be required to leave the country within four months of the decree being set in motion. This decree was wished upon due to the fact that contractors are not under the Afghan law; they can technically do whatever they please. However, practically all know their limits and would not cross the line of the rules set forth by their own company. Of course, the decree must not have been set in play, since contractors are still fighting in the Middle East, especially Afghanistan, and more contractors find themselves being sent to the war-torn lands of the Middle East. I personally do not believe that contractors should be banned, as they are, for all intents and purposes, nothing more than extremely well paid soldier and should not be treated as murderers and thieves, but instead as regular soldiers.