The force would guard pipelines and government facilities around Iraq, providing jobs for unemployed Iraqis and easing tensions created by the US military occupation, military officials told the daily.

Pipelines are among the sites that have been targetted in almost daily attacks against US-led forces which have left at least 33 US soldiers dead since May 1, when President George W. Bush announced an end to the war.

The private force, which would be separate from the new Iraqi Army and Iraqi police force, would be composed chiefly of former Iraqi soldiers armed with small weapons, which has raised some security concerns, the officials said.

They said the plan was being discussed at the highest level of the Pentagon and with the Coalition Provosional Authority in Baghdad and private American companies, including Kroll Inc.

"The idea, first and foremost, is to have Iraqis providing security for Iraq, at places like the national museum and other fixed sites, and there are civilian companies that do this very well," a senior military official said.

"An added benefit is that we definitely want to reduce the load on American soldiers," added the official, whose identity was not disclosed.

Kroll senior executive Anne Tiedemann told the daily her company had been involved in "brainstorming sessions" in Baghdad with coalition members.

"Our sense is that the (US) military has too much on their plate right now, and that these are issues that need to be addressed, and the way to do that is through the private sector," said the regional managing director and head of Kroll's Europe, Middle East and Africa Region.

Tiedemann and the US military officials stressed the talks had not gone beyond a discussion phase and no final decision had been reached.

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