Thread: US security firm Blackwater banned from Iraq

RTE News | September 17, 2007

US security contractor Blackwater has been banned from operating in Iraq, after eight civilians were killed in Baghdad yesterday.

Blackwater offers personal security to US officials working in Iraq, and is one of the better known firms involved in what critics call the privatisation of the war in Iraq.

Yesterday,Â*a US diplomatic convoy came under fire in the Iraqi capital's western al-Yarmukh neighbourhood.

Blackwater members accompanying the convoyÂ*returned fire, leaving nine people dead, one of whom was an Iraqi police officer.

All of the other fatalities were civilian bystanders.

Iraqi Brigadier-General, Abdul-Karim Khalaf, confirmed that a mortar had landed close to the convoy and said the US firm hadÂ*'opened fire randomly at citizens'.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has strongly condemned the company's actions and denounced what he called the criminal response of the USÂ*contractors.

And today Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani issued an order toÂ*cancel Blackwater's licence andÂ*prohibit the company from operating anywhere in Iraq.

Mr Bolani also confirmed that a criminal investigation had been launched following the incident.

A US embassy official only said that security vehicles of the 'DepartmentÂ*of State' were involved in an incident near al-Nissur Square.

Blackwater representatives were not immediately available for comment.

Thousands of private security contractors, many of them US and European, have worked in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003.

Following aÂ*number of similar incidents in recent years, foreign private security firms have been accused of operating outside the law with little or noÂ*accountability either to the Iraqi government or US military forces.

http://www.infowars.com/articles/iraq/b ... m_iraq.htm

I would in fact mention where I believe the information provided by info wars could be put. However, it is not clear that digital data shoved into the holiest of holies would be as uncomfortable to endure as the constant tin foil hat nonsense that seems to gravitate towards ANY action that has in its focus the disreputable actions of the Government.

Blackwater is full of former US military. It is NOT some secret force created to drive Americans into concentration camps as places like infowars has reported. I have several friends who work for Blackwater and my guess is that the intention of this post is mere propaganda.

Here are some credible sources of information:
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/09/d ... er_070917/
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/ ... html?imw=Y

In any event a convoy of US personnel came under fire and the Blackwater folk returned fire. Hardly a crime.

Moved to other topics.