Weird news from Iraq

Under assault by insurgents and unable to rely on U.S. and coalition troops for intelligence or help under duress, private security firms in Iraq have begun to band together in the past 48 hours, organizing what may effectively be the largest private army in the world, with its own rescue teams and pooled, sensitive intelligence.

Washington Post

Is it just me, or is this really like the plot of a bad videogame's cut scenes? An alliance of necessity between mercenaries in a war-torn country ...