State Dept. Convoy Attacked in Baghdad, Sparking a Shootout

[TexasLawyer]

Source: Washington Post

State Dept. Convoy Attacked in Baghdad, Sparking a Shootout
Security Guards Kill 9 Civilians, Iraqis Say

By Joshua Partlow
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, September 17, 2007; Page A14

BAGHDAD, Sept. 17 -- A U.S. State Department motorcade came under attack in Baghdad on Sunday, prompting security contractors guarding the convoy to open fire in the streets. At least nine civilians were killed, according to Iraqi officials.

The shootout occurred in the downtown neighborhood of Mansour at midday after an explosion detonated near the convoy, police said. In response, the security contractors "escalated the force to defend themselves," a U.S. Embassy official in Baghdad said.

Iraqi officials alleged that the response by the security company, which was not named, involved excessive force and killed innocent civilians. The Iraqi government will investigate the incident and "probably will withdraw the authority for this security company in Baghdad," said Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, an Interior Ministry spokesman.

"The security company contractors opened fire randomly on the civilians," he said. "We consider this act a crime."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/16/AR2007091601062.html?hpid=topnews

[Olney Blue]

1. Oh no. This is very bad news.

[zazzle]

26. and it's on A-17?!?

[heliarc]

31. OJ is going to steal this news day.

Our news agencies are useless.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

2. That's not good

I wonder who this unnamed security company could be? Who could be responsible for hiring such an unprofessional, shoot first and take names later, security company?

[Roland99]

3. Mercernaries running security for the US State Dept?!?!?!?

fucking bullshit!

Fuck Blackwater and its pseudo-Christian nutcase owner.

[Captain Hilts]

10. They did security for Bremer too. I don't understand that. nt

[emilyg]

23. Ditto.

[Seabiscuit]

28. Appalling. Just when I think I can't be shocked any more, Bushco again proves me wrong.

[heliarc]

30. That is...

If you really believe that these guys aren't NOC... I tend to think that this is a legal dodge to detail "mercs" to Security Details. The same is true of a lot of the interrogation at Abu Ghraib. Titan, Blackwater. Lots of people not beholden to US Martial law on security details. They commit a crime, like raping a prisoner or killing someone in their custody, the military doesn't have to worry about hearings and the like. The company is scapegoated... Deniability.

[partylessinOhio]

4. 10 more years of this?

:cry:

[PDJane]

5. SOP.........

"contractors" are collecting US intelligence,too, at the moment.

[bleever]

6. '...the security contractors "escalated the force to defend themselves,"

a U.S. Embassy official in Baghdad said.'

In other words, they heard an explosion, so they started shooting. That's not self-defense.

[TexasLawyer]

7. security company helicopters firing into the streets...

A Washington Post employee in the area at the time of the shooting witnessed security company helicopters firing into the streets near Nisoor Square in Mansour. Witnesses said they saw dead and wounded people on the pavement.

The U.S. Embassy official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident was under investigation and that he could provide no further details.

The incident punctuated a day of violence that left at least 40 people dead across Iraq, police said.

[angrycarpenter]

8. and then they find out its blackwater and do nothing. nt

[appleannie1]

12. They have immunity

Mercenaries are immune from the UN charter, the Geneva Accords and the Nuremberg doctrines. Additionally, the Pentagon extended legal protections to civilian contractors in Iraq. Not only are civilians protected from American law, but the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) has made civilian contractors immune from prosecution in Iraq for crimes committed as part of their “official duties.” Although this immunity is officially an effort to bring businesses into the country, the unstated consequence of this is de facto legal immunity for interrogators, since privatization has expanded these “official duties” into areas previously filled by legally accountable soldiers.

http://boards.courttv.com/showthread.php?s=53315de87e225981d91d7b4c84fe52f3&threadid=311476

Another one of Bush's protections.

[bhikkhu]

29. exactly. the apalling irony is that the "Iraqi government" imagines

it has some kind of authority to adress the random killing of its civilians, but it doesn't.

[Lint Head]

9. Our country is fucked up. Private security corporations supporting

acting like federal soldiers in a war should be illegal! :dem:

[druidity33]

11. no mention

of who was in this "U.S. State Department motorcade"...

[TexasLawyer]

14. I haven't seen any details on who, if anyone, was being guarded

That would be interesting. But here are some other details from an AP article:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gkx-3oYeFwuWKCusr2jrojs98w8w

The security contractors involved in the shootings in the Mansour neighborhood of Baghdad were in a convoy of six SUVs and left the scene after the incident. The police officer who reported the shootings spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

A witness said the gunfire broke out following an explosion. "We saw a convoy of SUVs passing in the street nearby. One minute later, we heard the sound of bomb explosion followed by gunfire that lasted for 20 minutes between gunmen and the convoy people who were foreigners and dressed civilian clothes. Everybody in the street started to flee immediately," said Hussein Abdul-Abbas, who owns a mobile phone store in the area.

Iraqi state television said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki condemned the shooting by a "foreign security company."

There are tens of thousands of private security contractors in Iraq, including many Americans and Britons. They are equipped with automatic weapons, body armor, helicopters and bulletproof vehicles and operate with little or no supervision, accountable only to the firms employing them.

[piesRsquare]

20. 20 MINUTES?!?!

"...bomb explosion followed by gunfire that lasted for 20 minutes..."

And just what are they using as bug spray over there? Nerve gas?!

Talk about hyper-reaction! :wtf:

[druidity33]

32. shooting from helicopters too

imo, if they had air-support like that, i'd think it was someone "important". Was anyone from the State Dept. out of this country at the time? Secret visit by someone?

:shrug:

[frogcycle]

13. with any luck the Iraqis will get so pissed that

they will break off diplomatic relations and expel the US ambassador and staff - and military

[0rganism]

15. methinks bushco would just cook up another excuse to re-invade

which might be funny in itself, but would have frightful consequences.

[frogcycle]

25. yeah, I actually had that as the next line in my post but then deleted it

he probably would try but it would at least create a "situation"

we need something to break the "stay the course" doldrums. 100 dead Americans and several thousand dead Iraqis a month with no other change don't seem to be enough

[olddad56]

16. if Bushes hired killers outnumber the soldiers, lest bring the soldiers home.

Fcuk this bullshit invasion.

[entanglement]

17. "Security Company" = Blackwater?

[scarface2004]

18. don't use the euphemism 'security contractors'

they are hired killers, or hitmen, if you will. george has unleashed the mob on irak!

[MidwestTransplant]

19. He may consider it a crime but Iraq has no recourse. If it's one of the main Merc. outfits, I am

sure they will be able to continue to operate in Baghdad.

[Eric J in MN]

21. "security company helicopters firing into the streets"

I didn't realize that private companies are allowed to operate armed helicopters.

[RamboLiberal]

24. Probably armed shooters in the copters

Blackwater helicopters in Iraq

F'ing mercenaries. This needs to be stopped. Any security should be employees of the United States.

[donkeyotay]

33. At the start of this war they told us contractors would only be non-combat

just to save costs and free-up soldiers. Now they've got armed helicopters.

[Eugene]

22. Again?!?!

:banghead: This isn't the first time, and sadly, it probably won't be the last.

So what happens next? Another joint show of force operation from
the military and the mercenaries security contractors?

[Amonester]

27. Bu$h & Cheney Winning Hearts and Minds on a Black Monday

That's the Only Way they know how (NOT) to do it.

(May not be a Black Monday, but a Red Monday it sure is.)

[Supersedeas]

34. Turning the corner, last throes, progress progress progress - OJ, McCanns, Lohan, Paris Hilton

[zonkers]

35. delete

[zonkers]

36. Sir... does this mean that Ann-Margret's not coming?