Lesson plan

Task Force Shield

Task Force Shield was set up by the Coalition Provisional Authority in 2003 to provide security for Iraq's critical oil infrastructure. The task force was originally composed of a small team of American military personnel, contractors from the UK-based firm Erinys International, and Iraqis hired, trained and supervised by Erinys. The Iraqi force trained by Erinys was called the Oil Protection Force (OPF). After the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred control of Iraq to the Interim Government, the OPF became a subordinate element of Iraq's Ministry of Oil. The Ministry of Oil did not renew the Erinys contract. Task Force Shield was disbanded in 2005. In April 2006, the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction published a report on the activities of Task Force Shield. The report determined that Task Force Shield was ultimately unsuccessful and found that there were indications of potential fraud.

Back to article

Article summary

Task Force Shield was set up by the Coalition Provisional Authority in 2003 to provide security for Iraq's critical oil infrastructure. The task force was originally composed of a small team of American military personnel, contractors from the UK-based firm Erinys International, and Iraqis hired, trained and supervised by Erinys. The Iraqi force trained by Erinys was called the Oil Protection Force (OPF). After the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred control of Iraq to the Interim Government, the OPF became a subordinate element of Iraq's Ministry of Oil. The Ministry of Oil did not renew the Erinys contract. Task Force Shield was disbanded in 2005. In April 2006, the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction published a report on the activities of Task Force Shield. The report determined that Task Force Shield was ultimately unsuccessful and found that there were indications of potential fraud.

Key claims

No claims recorded.

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

No sources recorded.

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.