Bacchus Interuptus: ArmorGroup Loses State Dept. Contract After Allegations Of Lewd Behavior

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The State Department will no longer employ private security contractor ArmorGroup North America in Afghanistan, after some lewd photographs of the group’s alcohol-fueled antics came to light in September.

According to State Department spokesman Mark Toner, the five-year, $189 million contract with ArmorGroup, which had been charged with protecting the U.S. embassy in Kabul, will not be renewed after it expires next summer.

The State Department’s decision will come as no surprise to those who remember the initial allegations, which, in the form of a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, depict a treasure trove of Bacchic behavior, including brawls, prostitutes, and “deviant hazing and humiliation.” The accompanying pictures, obtained by Mother Jones, complete the portrait of a contractor-gone-wild.

Toner also cites ArmorGroup’s continued failure to meet the terms of the contract as a factor in the decision. I’ll bet.

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