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The Marine Corps has banned at least 16 men from U.S. bases in western Iraq because they were allegedly part of a security convoy accused of speeding through Fallujah and indiscriminately firing unauthorized weapons.

One respects him for his work and taking responsibility for children. Another sees him like a fraternity brother. All recognized him as suffering human foibles, but acknowledged his attempts to overcome them. All but one were named by Blanchard as people who know him here. Their recollections paint a picture of a multi-faceted man with a story worth hearing.

Rick Blanchard says he was one of eight former U.S. Marines among 14 security specialists in a 19-man convoy employed by Zapata Engineering of Charlotte, N.C. on May 28 in Northern Iraq where Marines intercepted them and escorted them to Camp Fallujah.

A North Carolina company has repatriated its private security contractors, including eight former U.S. Marines, after they were accused and detained in Iraq for purportedly shooting at American troops in Fallujah.

"We are not looking for cowboys or reactionary musclemen," explains CEO Kevin James, a former Navy Seal and martial arts expert. "The best men and women for these jobs are those who have the physical skills, think tactically, and can handle the pressure. We are equipping professionals to succeed in hostile environments."

All four worked for ArmorGroup, a security firm with 1,000 employees in Iraq protecting official buildings and companies. They were part of a civilian convoy working on the security of a reconstruction project close to Mosul when their convoy came under fire from gunmen.

A group of American security guards in Iraq have alleged they were beaten, stripped and threatened with a snarling dog by US marines when they were detained after an alleged shooting incident outside Falluja last month.

U.S. Marines forcibly detained a team of security guards working for an American engineering firm in Iraq after reportedly witnessing the contractors fire at U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians from an armed convoy. The employees have said that the incident was a case of mistaken identity. Several have accused the Marines of verbally and physically abusing them while they were in custody.

They looked so local that they risked drawing friendly fire if they attempted to move up to shelter under the American guns. So they sat in no man's land, chit-chatting by radio as they willed on the Americans to reopen the road before their cover was blown.

Around 60 Filipino workers, who had earlier engaged in a labor strike inside a United States military camp in Iraq, have come home, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.