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| HJT International Security Services | |
|---|---|
| Part of Prime Earth's history | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Abbreviations | HJT ITSS Inc. HJT InterSec Services |
| Other names | HJT International Security Services Incorporated |
| Type | Private military and security company |
| Status | Defunct |
| Headquarters |  Fort Wayne, United States |
| Established at | July 9, 2014 |
| Founder | George Andrews Jr. |
| Disestablished at | February 3, 2016 |
| Dates of operation | 2015-2016 |
| Key locations | Middle East, Africa |
| Notable members | Mikhail Kovac, Seth Royce, Hudson Crawford, Victor Cooper |
| Leadership | |
| Executive Director | George Andrews Jr. |
| Key people | Michael R. Flanagan (head of recruitment) |
| Additional information | |
| Personnel | 6,000 (2016) |
HJT International Security Services Incorporated (HJT ITSS Inc.) was a private military and security services company based in the United States. It was established shortly after the end of the Bulgarian terrorist crisis of 2011, by the former commander of «Operation Sovereignty», George Andrews Jr.. The company operated primarily in the Middle East and Africa until its dissolution in 2016. The company faced many scandals and controversies regarding its tactics and rules of engagement during its deployments. One scandal in particular, the 2016 Dibbwol massacre, resulted in the company facing a major lawsuit and dissolving itself.
History
Shortly after the end of the Bulgarian terrorist crisis of 2011, former «Operation Sovereignty» commander, George Andrews Jr., registered the «HJT International Security Services Inc.» trademark. Until July 9, 2014, he was in the process of registering the company.
After registering the company, he started inviting former Sovereignty personnel, former resistance members, and some close friends. One of his closest friends was Michael R. Flanagan, a former recruitment officer in the United States Army. After Flanagan joined the company, he was given the position of the Head of Recruitment. Flanagan immediately started sending out invites, using his connections and skills.
By October 21, HJT employed 465 contractors, including Seth Royce, Hudson Crawford, and Mikhail Kovac. The company managed to secure a small security contract in Niger.
On February 23, 2015, HJT reached 1,000 employed contractors. The company started receiving contracts from the Middle East. The Niger contract was a major success, generating approximately $2 million for the company. Andrews called for the company to have 5,000 contractors by 2016.
On July 27, 2015, HJT reached 5,200 employed contractors. This was a result of an extensive ad campaign employed by Flanagan's recruitment department. The company promised large payouts, health insurance and other benefits. The company continued receiving various security contracts from the Middle East and Africa. The company also received a long-term security contract from Nigeria to combat the Boko Haram insurgents.
On September 28, 2015, HJT was faced with a controversy regarding its treatment of Boko Haram prisoners. The United Nations conducted an independent investigation into the issue and found no violations of the Geneva Convention.
By January 1, 2016, HJT reached 6,000 employed contractors. Most of them were from the United States, Nigeria, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico, and Israel.
Dibbwol massacre
On February 1, 2016, two HJT squads reached the town of Dibbwol, Nigeria. The two squads were tasked with patrolling the region for any insurgent activity. Shortly after reaching the town, the first squad reported seeing suspicious activity in one of the houses. After illegally entering the house, the squad did not find any suspicious items or weapons. Despite that, both squads have detained some civilians in the area, including those in the houses.
Shortly after detaining the civilians, one member of the squad (Brandon Turner) reported taking fire from an unknown direction. This set off a chain reaction in which both groups fired on the civilians. As a result, approximately 35 civilians were killed and 20 were injured. After the incident, both squads were called off and returned to base. An investigation later revealed that the alleged gunshot was actually a rock thrown by a child at a metal sheet lying on the ground.
As a result of this incident, HJT faced a major lawsuit from the affected people of Nigeria. To avoid this, Andrews immediately signed an order dissolving the company. The contractors involved in the incident were later arrested by the United States and charged with manslaughter.
Notable members
- Seth Royce — Staff Sergeant, Senior Security Specialist
- Hudson Crawford — Corporal, Defense Training and Security Installations Specialist
- Mikhail Kovac — Private First Class, Private Security Officer
- Victor Cooper — Sergeant First Class, Officer of Operations Management
- Michael R. Flanagan — Head of Recruitment