Contractor Presence Increases

The number of civilian contractors taking part in the fight against Islamic State fighters in Iraq is growing. Contractor presence in Iraq now stands at 2,028, up from 250 in 2014, the online Independent Business Times (IBT) reported Feb. 24, citing Pentagon statistics. The increase in contractor presence coincides with the additional troops deployed there to pursue the fight, one expert told IBT. Roughly 70 percent of the contractors in Iraq are U.S. Citizens. Another 10 percent are Iraqi, with the remainder coming from other co