WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 (HalliburtonWatch.org) -- Many folks around the world are lured to Halliburton's KBR subsidiary to risk their lives for dangerous work in Iraq and a chance to earn between $80,000 and $120,000 over 12-months. Since the March 2003 invasion by the U.S.-led coalition, 68 civilian employees of Halliburton/KBR have been killed working in various support roles for the troops in Iraq and Kuwait. But many more employees are returning home before their 12-month contract is completed because of the daily roadside bombs, mortar fire, rocket-propelled grenades, bullets and the constant threat of kidnappings. Even if employees return home without physical injury, the nightmare of war can still be alive in the mind. Former employees have complained of psychological problems, injuries and broken promises from KBR. The psychological problems make it difficult to gain employment back home.

The U.S. military has 150,000 troops on the ground in Iraq. But the head of Iraq's military intelligence service announced that the number of Iraqi fighters resisting the U.S. occupation exceeds the number of U.S. troops. �I think the resistance is bigger than the US military in Iraq. I think the resistance is more than 200,000 people,� General Muhammad Abdullah Shahwani, director of Iraq�s new intelligence service, said. Of these 200,000 fighters, the U.S. military announced that the number of non-Iraqi (or foreign) fighters is less than one thousand and that only 325 of the 8,500 prisoners are from foreign countries. This means that nearly all of the resistance is comprised of Iraqi citizens, not foreigners, and that they currently outnumber U.S. troops. Remember this cold fact before you make a decision to risk your life with KBR.

Furthermore, a Gallup Poll of the Iraqi people found a growing negative attitude toward the American occupation. Fifty-three percent of Iraqis say they would feel less secure without U.S. troops in Iraq, but 57 percent say the troops should leave anyway. Those answers were given last April before the insurgency was widened.

So, before you make a decision to work for KBR, remember that a majority of Iraqis want the U.S. military to leave their country immediately and that the number of resistance fighters has grown larger than the number of U.S. troops. It begs the question: is America fighting for, or against, the Iraqi people?

Finally, once your employment with Halliburton ends, the company and the State of Texas will use every law on the books to avoid paying unemployment compensation. For example, you may be employed by a foreign subsidiary of Halliburton (in fact, much of Halliburton's work is conducted by foreign subsidiaries). Under Texas law, you will not be entitled to unemployment benefits if you were employed by a Halliburton subsidiary that is incorporated in a "foreign" nation. In one typical case, the Texas Workforce Commission ruled against a former Halliburton employee by concluding: "The claimant is not entitled to unemployment benefits because [Halliburton's foreign subsidiary] does not satisfy the definition for an 'American employer' under the [Texas] statute."

Read the personal accounts of former KBR employees at the links below:

For one trucker, a road too hard: Peril eclipsed civilian contractor's pay on Iraq supply job

Trauma of Iraq War Haunting Thousands Returning Home

Halliburton employs the world's poor to make a killing in Iraq

Civilian workers not qualified for work in Iraq

Indian Contract Workers in Iraq Complain of Exploitation

KBR denies withholding news on Iraq hostages

Former Army chaplain says KBR places profits before soldiers