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luke
Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Location: by the sea
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 Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:23 pm Post subject: Iraq expels American security firm |
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| Quote: | Iraq expels American security firm
By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi government Monday ordered Blackwater USA, the security firm that protects U.S. diplomats, to stop work and leave the country after the fatal shooting of eight Iraqi civilians following a car bomb attack against a State Department convoy.
The order by the Interior Ministry, if carried out, would deal a severe blow to U.S. government operations in Iraq by stripping diplomats, engineers, reconstruction officials and others of their security protection.
The presence of so many visible, aggressive Western security contractors has angered many Iraqis, who consider them a mercenary force that runs roughshod over people in their own country.
Sunday's shooting was the latest in a series of incidents in which Blackwater and other foreign contractors have been accused of shooting to death an unknown number of Iraqi citizens. None has faced charges or prosecution.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki late Monday and the two agreed to conduct a "fair and transparent investigation" and hold any wrongdoers accountable, said Yassin Majid, an adviser to the prime minister. Rice was expected to visit the Mideast on Tuesday.
Majid made no mention of the order to expel Blackwater, and it was unlikely the United States would agree to abandon a security company that plays such a critical role in American operations in Iraq.
A State Department official confirmed the call but said he could not describe the substance. The U.S. clearly hoped the Iraqis would be satisfied with an investigation, a finding of responsibility and compensation to the victims' families — and not insist on expelling a company that the Americans cannot operate here without.
Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karim Khalaf said eight civilians were killed and 13 were wounded when contractors believed to be working for Blackwater USA opened fire on civilians Sunday in the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Mansour in western Baghdad.
"We have canceled the license of Blackwater and prevented them from working all over Iraqi territory. We will also refer those involved to Iraqi judicial authorities," Khalaf said.
He said witness reports pointed to Blackwater involvement but added that the shooting was still under investigation. One witness, Hussein Abdul-Abbas, said the explosion was followed by about 20 minutes of heavy gunfire and "everybody in the street started to flee immediately."
U.S. officials said the motorcade was traveling through Nisoor Square on the way back to the Green Zone when the car bomb exploded, followed by volleys of small-arms fire that disabled one of the vehicles but caused no American casualties.
According to TIME.com, which obtained a U.S. incident report, a separate convoy arriving to help was "blocked/surrounded by several Iraqi police and Iraqi national guard vehicles and armed personnel."
American officials refused to discuss Iraqi casualties, nor would they confirm that Blackwater personnel were involved. They also refused to explain the legal authority under which Blackwater operates in Iraq or say whether the company was complying with the order. It also was unclear whether the contractors involved in the shooting were still in Iraq.
While Blackwater has recently undertaken an effort to improve its image by emphasizing its humanitarian efforts and vision for "a safer world," it didn't immediately step forward to defend itself Monday. Several messages left with officials were not returned, and vice chairman Cofer Black, a former director of the CIA's counterterrorism center, declined to comment when reached at his Virginia home.
The incident drew attention to one of the controversial American practices of the war — the use of heavily armed private security contractors who Iraqis complain operate beyond the control of U.S. military and Iraqi law.
The events in Mansour also illustrate the challenge of trying to protect U.S. officials in a city where car bombs can explode at any time, and where gunmen blend in with the civilian population.
"The Blackwater guys are not fools. If they were gunning down people, it was because they felt it was the beginning of an ambush," said Robert Young Pelton, an independent military analyst and author of the book "Licensed to Kill."
"They're famous for being very aggressive. They use their machine guns like car horns. But it's not the goal to kill people."
In one of the most horrific attacks of the war, four Blackwater employees were ambushed and killed in Fallujah in 2004 and their charred bodies hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River.
But Iraqis have long complained about high-profile, heavily armed security vehicles careering through the streets, with guards pointing weapons at civilians and sometimes firing warning shots at anyone deemed too close. And Iraqi officials were quick to condemn the foreign guards.
Al-Maliki late Sunday condemned the shooting by a "foreign security company" and called it a "crime."
Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani described the shooting as "a crime about which we cannot be silent."
"Everyone should understand that whoever wants good relations with Iraq should respect Iraqis," al-Bolani told Al-Arabiya television. "We are implementing the law and abide by laws, and others should respect these laws and respect the sovereignty and independence of Iraqis in their country."
Defense Minister Abdul-Qadir al-Obaidi told Iraqi television that "those criminals" responsible for deaths "should be punished" and that the government would demand compensation for the victims' families.
Despite threats of prosecution, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Alhurra television that contractors cannot be prosecuted by Iraqi courts because "some of them have immunity."
In April, the Defense Department said about 129,000 contractors of many nationalities were operating in Iraq — nearly as many as the entire U.S. military force before this year's troop buildup.
About 4,600 contractors are in combat roles, such as protecting supply convoys along Iraq's dangerous, bomb-laden highways.
Blackwater, a secretive North Carolina-based company run by a former Navy SEAL, is among the biggest and best known security firms, with an estimated 1,000 employees in Iraq and at least $800 million in government contracts.
In May 2007, a Blackwater employee shot and killed a civilian who was thought to be driving too close to a company security detail.
Last Christmas Eve, an inebriated Blackwater employee shot and killed a security guard for an Iraqi vice president, according to Iraqi and U.S. officials. The contractor made his way to the U.S. Embassy where Blackwater officials arranged to have him flown home to the United States, according U.S. officials who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The contractor has been fired and Blackwater is cooperating with federal investigators, company spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell has said. |
this'll be interesting, i can't see america actually following the will of the iraqi government and allowing the kicking out of all the blackwater mercenaries ... |
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major.tom
Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
Joined: 21 Jan 2007
Location: BC, Canada
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| Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 12:22 am Post subject: |
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| I agree with your assessment. The emptiness of often-used line ("we're there by their authority") will soon be be obvious. |
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luke
Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Location: by the sea
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| Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:34 am Post subject: |
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looks like we were right tom ...
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mickyv
Joined: 12 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 4:22 pm Post subject: |
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Did you guys see this report about the incident ?
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2984819.ece
This mentions "at least 28 dead" & not the 8 or 11 mentioned above, but of course even one death is cold bloodied murder.
Very telling that some commentators state that the US Military could not operate in Iraq without the "contractors", whose actual number matches the number of US troops. True to the American Ideal, Cold Capitalism makes everything possible, and Blackwater continues to make a financial killing from real life killings. |
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mickyv
Joined: 12 Dec 2006
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mickyv
Joined: 12 Dec 2006
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major.tom
Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
Joined: 21 Jan 2007
Location: BC, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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| mickyv wrote: | | Is there really any difference between them and the contractors/mercenaries ? |
I think there is still a difference, if only a technical one. Soldiers only have de facto immunity. When brought before military courts of justice to face charges, they are almost universally treated with kit gloves, receiving minor sentences for any crime. Blackwater operates in the dark apparently under no rules of combat, subject to no law (not even American) whatsoever. |
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Mandy
Joined: 07 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 5:21 pm Post subject: |
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Looks like a turf war in the US .. i.e. the US military and the contractors/mercenaries are under different chains of command. So these are really Bush's "private army" who will do what they want without regard to the US Generals who run the military. Civil war anyone?
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mickyv
Joined: 12 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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“Licence to Kill” must be Blackwater’s business motto;
Here a report where they used their motto to engage in a bit of target practise;
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/20043.html
It also seems that it was their original skimping on security at Fallujah, that eventually lead to the US levelling of this town, with all the attendant horrendous human cost;
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/20055.html
This company is completely & utterly drenched in blood. |
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mickyv
Joined: 12 Dec 2006
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mickyv
Joined: 12 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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Further developments:
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luke
Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Location: by the sea
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 4:38 pm Post subject: |
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democracy now did a good show on blackwater yesterday if anyones interested - http://www.democracynow.org/index.pl?issue=20071011
| Quote: | EXCLUSIVE - Family Members of Slain Iraqis Sue Blackwater USA for Deadly Baghdad Shooting
The Center for Constitutional Rights is filing a lawsuit today under the Alien Tort Claims Act on behalf of the families of three of the Iraqis killed, as well as another Iraqi who was injured, when Blackwater guards shot dead 17 Iraqis and injured many more. We speak with CCR attorney Susan Burke and Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill, author of the bestselling book "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army." [includes rush transcript]
Ex-U.S. Official in Iraq on Iraqi Efforts to Ban Blackwater: “I Was Surprised It Had Taken This Long”
Janessa Gans was guarded by Blackwater guards during her two years in Iraq as a U.S. official. Asked about Iraqi efforts to remove Blackwater, she says: “I was surprised it had taken this long.” [includes rush transcript]
Blackwater Loses Bid to Reject Wrongful Death Suit in Afghan Plane Crash
In 2004, three Army soldiers and three Blackwater employees died when a plane operated by a Blackwater subsidiary crashed in Afghanistan. The families of the soldiers filed a wrongful death suit. Blackwater has claimed the lawsuit should be dismissed, but last week three judges on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta rejected that argument. We speak to the families’ attorney, Robert Spohrer. [includes rush transcript] |
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Mandy
Joined: 07 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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The Iraqi civilians have NO CHANCE. Federal courts, all the way up to the Supreme court are stuffed with Bush supports .. especially when the victim is a foreigner .. not a chance in hell (recall recent dismissal of the abduction case by the Supreme court .. giving NO reasons).
FYI, the same is true of any foreign corporation suing a US company in US courts .. not a chance in hell of winning. The US uses their courts as an extension of their military .. what they can't achieve militarily, they sue in the courts (like in the MULTI-BILLION law suites & damages awards against Libya, Arab Banks, Iran etc.) |
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luke
Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Location: by the sea
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| Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | 
Blackwater drew weapons on US troops
Oct. 15, 2007 issue - The colonel was furious. "Can you believe it? They actually drew their weapons on U.S. soldiers." He was describing a 2006 car accident, in which an SUV full of Blackwater operatives had crashed into a U.S. Army Humvee on a street in Baghdad's Green Zone. The colonel, who was involved in a follow-up investigation and spoke on the condition he not be named, said the Blackwater guards disarmed the U.S. Army soldiers and made them lie on the ground at gunpoint until they could disentangle the SUV. His account was confirmed by the head of another private security company. Asked to address this and other allegations in this story, Blackwater spokesperson Anne Tyrrell said, "This type of gossip has led to many soap operas in the press."
Whatever else Blackwater is or isn't guilty of—a topic of intense interest in Washington—it has a well-earned reputation in Iraq for arrogance and high-handedness. Iraqis naturally have the most serious complaints; dozens have been killed by Blackwater operatives since the beginning of the war. But many American civilian and military officials in Iraq also have little sympathy for the private security company and its highly paid employees. With an uproar growing in Congress over Blackwater's alleged excesses, the North Carolina-based company is finding few supporters.
Responsible for guarding top U.S. officials in Iraq, Blackwater operatives are often accused of playing by their own rules. Unlike nearly everyone else who enters the Green Zone, said an American soldier who guards a gate, Blackwater gunmen refuse to stop and clear their weapons of live ammunition once inside. One military contractor, who spoke anonymously for fear of retribution in his industry, recounted the story of a Blackwater operative who answered a Marine officer's order to put his pistol on safety when entering a base post office by saying, "This is my safety," and wiggling his trigger finger in the air. "Their attitude was, 'We're f---ing security; we don't have to answer to anybody'."
Congress disagrees. Until now, private security contractors working for the State Department, as Blackwater does, have effectively not been covered by either U.S. or Iraqi law, or military regulations. A bill that overwhelmingly passed the House last week would close that loophole. But the law would also require the FBI to establish a large-scale presence in Iraq in order to investigate accusations against private contractors. Law-enforcement officials worry that this would draw valuable resources away from FBI efforts to combat terrorism in the United States. Also, whenever FBI agents venture into Iraq now they are guarded by ... Blackwater operatives. The bureau has sent a team to Baghdad to investigate the Sept. 16 shooting in Nasoor Square, in which Blackwater guards are accused of killing as many as 17 Iraqi civilians. In order to avoid "even the appearance of any conflict [of interest]," according to an FBI spokesman, the agents will be defended by U.S. government personnel.
It is not an idle concern. Blackwater's staunchest defenders tend to be found among those whom they guard. U.S. officials prefer Blackwater and other private security bodyguards because they regard them as more highly trained than military guards, who are often reservists from MP units. A U.S. Embassy staffer, who did not have permission to speak on the record, said, "It's a few bad eggs that seem to be spoiling the bunch." Late last week the State Department announced that it would increase oversight of Blackwater in particular, installing cameras in its vehicles and having a Diplomatic Security Service officer ride along on every convoy. But another State Department official, also speaking anonymously, says that DSS agents in Baghdad have not been eager to rein in the contractors in the past: "These guys tend to close ranks. It's like the blue wall."
Testifying before Congress last week, 38-year-old Blackwater chief Erik Prince vigorously defended his company's "dedicated security professionals" who "risk their lives to protect Americans in harm's way overseas." Prince probably had no reason to be as smug as he seemed to many observers. In deflecting questions about a drunken Blackwater operative who allegedly shot and killed a bodyguard for Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi in the Green Zone on Christmas Eve last year, Prince said that the employee, later identified as Andrew Moonen, had been fined and fired. But on Friday House Oversight Committee chairman Rep. Henry Waxman released a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recounting evidence that Moonen was able to return to Iraq and worked there for another company. Moonen's attorney, Stewart Riley, told NEWSWEEK his client denies wrongdoing and is not facing criminal charges. Blackwater is no doubt in for further fire fights. |
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21163806/site/newsweek/ |
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Mandy
Joined: 07 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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Luke, was the title "Blackwater drew weapons on US troops" the original title of the story ?
The title seems to have been mellowed down to "Does Blackwater Play By Its Own Rules in Iraq? " // "Blackwater Is Soaked - An arrogant attitude only adds fuel to the criticism." |
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