Unity Resources Group

Infobox Company
company_name = Unity Resources Group
company_
vector_logo =
company_type = Private military security firm
foundation = 2000
founder =
location_city = Dubai
location_country = United Arab Emirates
location =
origins =
key_people =
area_served =
industry = Government contracting, private security
products =
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees =
parent =
divisions = Unity Amman Associates, Unity Pakistan, Unity Southern Sudan, Unity Iraq, Security Solutions Asia, and Australian Event Protection [ [http://www.unityresourcesgroup.com/ unityresourcesgroup ] ]
subsid =
owner =
company_slogan = "Strength in Unity"
dissolved =
footnotes =
homepage = http://www.unityresourcesgroup.com/

Unity Resources Group is an Australian-owned [ [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22565464-662,00.html Security company Unity Resources Group defends shooting] by Mary Dunn, Herald Sun (Australia), October 11, 2007.] private military company headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, founded in 2000, which describes itself as having a "diverse client base, spanning government, non-government and multi-national business sectors." [ [http://www.unityresourcesgroup.com/aboutunity.html About Unity] from the Unity Resource Group website.] The company is mainly staffed by Australian nationals [ [http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/10/2055325.htm?section=world Dubai security firm admits to latest Iraq shooting] , ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Co.) & Reuters, Oct 10, 2007] and is a member of the Private Security Company Association of Iraq (PSCAI) and the International Peace Operations Association (IPOA). [ [http://www.unityresourcesgroup.com/ http://www.unityresourcesgroup.com/ Unity Resource Group website] ]

Incidents

On , employees of the company shot at an approaching car in Baghdad. Two civilian women, both in the front seat, were killed: Marou Awanis, 48, a mother of three, and Geneva Jalal, 30. The shooting has provoked strong outrage in Iraq, since it follows closely on the Blackwater Baghdad shootings of September 16, 2007 that led to the Iraqi government's attempt to ban Blackwater from Iraq. [ [http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/aussies-in-iraqi-firing-line/2007/10/10/1191695991672.html Aussies in Iraqi firing line] by Tom Allard and Craig Skehan, The Sydney Morning Herald, October 11, 2007.] Both women have been identified as Armenian Christians. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/11/world/middleeast/11iraq.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin 2 Women Killed in Security Shooting Are Buried in Iraq] by Andre E. Kramer and James Glanz, The New York Times, October 11, 2007.] [ [http://www.philly.com/dailynews/national/20071010_Briefs.html Private security guards kill two Iraqi Christian women] , Daily News wire services, Oct. 10, 2007.]

The company defends the actions of its employees who fired over nineteen rounds of ammunition before speeding away from the scene. [ [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22565464-662,00.html Security company Unity Resources Group defends shooting] by Mary Dunn, Herald Sun (Australia),October 11, 2007.] [ [http://www.slate.com/id/2175631/ Threat Levels] by Daniel Politi, Slate, Oct. 10, 2007.] URG is the security provider for USAID contractor RTI International. RTI was however not the client under protection when the shooting occurred. [ [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gkx-3oYeFwuWKCusr2jrojs98w8wD8S6ECN80 Funeral for 2 Slain in Security Shooting] by Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press, October 10, 2007.] The passengers in the back seat, including one child, survived the incident. [ [http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/aussies-in-iraqi-firing-line/2007/10/10/1191695991672.html Aussies in Iraqi firing line] by Tom Allard and Craig Skehan, The Sydney Morning Herald, October 11, 2007.]

In March 2006, a URG employee was blamed in the shooting of a 72-year-old Australian at a checkpoint in Baghdad. [ [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gkx-3oYeFwuWKCusr2jrojs98w8wD8S6ECN80 Funeral for 2 Slain in Security Shooting] by Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press, October 10, 2007.]

References