Crescent Security Group

Legioner

Can nanybody remember.
Looking after some info's about a security coy based in Kuwait named
Crescent Security Group.
About two years ago five contractors where kidnapped by insurgents.
Does anybody know if they are still operating or if they shut down the coy.
Any info's would be much appreciated.

Ram Man

Crescent Security is a private security firm operating in Iraq, based out of Kuwait and managed by Americans.

On November 16th, 2006, 5 contractors working for Crescent were kidnapped at a fake check point in Iraq. To date, they have not been released.

We were sad to learn that all five hostages were killed by their kidnappers. Their bodies were returned to their families in March and April 2008.



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

mickworldwide

I do not know if they are still active Legioner but my advise is to stay well clear ... apart from the kidnappings mentioned above they were not best good to work for regarding vehicles, pay, rotations ... etc... had a very bad rep prior to this incident.

shakespeare

I've heard bad things about their equipment, weapons, drills, training, pay, rotations, accommodation, in fact just about everything....

If they are still operating, I wouldn't touch them if I were you.

dinger97

Mrning i was working out of Basrah at the time of there kidnapping there camp was about 400 mtrs away from the kuwait boarder they used to come across the boarder unarmed and then go straight in there camp.I think at the time of there kidnapping there were closing down on there contract's i do believe that they no longer work in iraq they had a very bad rep over there working in up Armoured veh, ifu need to know more i can e mail a friend of mine who knows of one,of the lads that came out of the kidnapping unharmed

Legioner

Heard they got kicked out off a US Army base because of illegal weapons
and alcohol abuse.
As well as they shut down the coy, but there are some rumors saying they are still operating.
Im courious about the COE Franko Picco because i heard he is Italian no not American Like in the media said.
Any info about that?

mickworldwide

Legioner ,

unfortunately they are prob working under a different name... they were in the past working out of the old 'roadhouse ' run by RGS after the Safwan border BXP ,, as I recall ..

As stated it was Muppet show in term of kit and kibuttal ,,, sorry for the guys what got whacked .. but if you stopped for Iraqi police regardless of the rules and regs and didn't leave a team in the rear as gun support then something went wrong......not trying to second guess the dead here but seriously , back then there were no SOPs about IPS...

Roadhog

Crescent were one of those companies set up by a CEO Franco Pecco who had no idea about security, he used to have- maybe still does- a trucking business and needed security, so set up a security firm to escort his trucks. Then somehow Crescent expanded to do contracts for other companies as well. As I recall their HQ was down in Kuwait City, they had a compound up near Navistar as well, but in country they had no facilities. Used to see them occasionally bedding down a Cedar II or Anaconda. They did have some characters working for them though, aside from Paul Reuben who was a great bloke does anyone remember Wolf? But also had some major issues, in terms of kit and SOPs or lack thereof. Always went high profile, but often lacked the vehicles, kit or aggression to carry it off. When the 5 got kidnapped they closed down within weeks so that they would risk having to pay ransoms to anymore guys after that, apparently they used to stiff wounded guys and dead guys families on their insurance money as well.

mickworldwide

Hi roadhog,

I heard the same that they closed down for the same reasons you stated. I recall seeing Cresent occasionally when they were first starting to run convoys ... I tend to remember they had massive amounts of trucks to very few escort teams ... I recall speaking to one guy at cedar in the KBR tents who told me they were so spread out that the backmarker had to radio relay to gain comms with the lead.... pityful in honesty.

They were hiring ricketty rackity Iraqis from around UQ and some with fairly dubious backgrounds MM etc.

It is sad that this sort of company is allowed to exist in the first place.....

Roadhog

Oh yeah, they definitely had the dubious Iraqi connection nailed down alright... one of their teams had an ex Iraqi weightlifter, another one had a guy that was rumoured to have been arrested by for being behind a number of convoy ambushes. As to their numbers of escort vehicles to trucks, worst I saw was 8 trucks 3 escort vehicles, but I heard from one of my mates up at Anaconda that a Crescent team had arrived with 20 trucks and 2 escort SUVs. But then so did a lot of other firms, I hope that things have changed now- not been to Iraq for over a year.