Iraq condemns U.S. security contractor

[goodhue]

Source: International Herald Tribune

Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki said Wednesday that the U.S. Embassy should stop using the security firm Blackwater after a weekend shooting, declaring that he would not tolerate "the killing of our citizens in cold blood."

Referring to the incident Sunday, in which at least 11 people were killed, Maliki said: "What happened was a crime. It has left a deep grudge and anger, both inside the government and among the Iraqi people."

It was in the interests of the country to "freeze the work of this company and the embassy can travel with other companies," he added.

* * *

Land travel by U.S. diplomats and other civilian officials outside the fortified Green Zone remained suspended for a second day Wednesday after the Iraqi authorities ordered Blackwater to stop working as the investigation continued.

* * *

A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman, Mirembe Nantongo, said the contractors involved in the shooting were still in Iraq, but refused to comment on the details of the case, pending the investigation.

Maliki said the shooting was "the seventh of its kind" involving Blackwater "and these violations should be dealt with." Maliki said Blackwater's work had been halted but he did not say its license had been revoked.

* * *

Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/19/news/iraq.php

[TwilightGardener]

1. Ha ha. Fight those strings, puppet!

[saigon68]

23. Actually they have him by the scrotum

The strings are only to pull him off-stage

[goodhue]

2. NPR: Maliki Calls Blackwater's Actions a Crime

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14527473

[jimshoes]

3. george will have

the Justice Department investigate this right away. :sarcasm:

[rodeodance]

4. Maliki blasts Blackwater security firm for other incidents

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

Maliki blasts Blackwater security firm for other incidents

By Leila Fadel, McClatchy Newspapers 2 hours, 58 minutes ago

BAGHDAD — Blackwater security guards who protect top U.S. diplomats in Iraq have been involved in at least seven serious incidents, some of which resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki said Wednesday.

.........

But Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al Askari told McClatchy Newspapers that one of the incidents was former Iraqi Electricity Minister Ahyam al Samarrai's escape from a Green Zone jail in December. Samarrai had been awaiting sentencing on charges that he had embezzled $2.5 billion that was intended to rebuild Iraq's decrepit electricity grid.

Another incident, Askari said, was the shooting death last month of a Baghdad taxi driver when Blackwater guards led a convoy the wrong way down a street. When the taxi driver failed to stop quickly enough as the convoy approached, the Blackwater guards opened fire, Askari said.

Maliki left no doubt that he had already made up his mind about Blackwater's culpability in Sunday's incident, which Blackwater has characterized as an ambush, but which survivors and witnesses have described as an unprovoked shooting spree.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20070919/wl_mcclatchy/20070919bcusiraq_attn_national_foreign_editors_ytop;_ylt=AjbWnR0aSdqNiEBxzUT7CrSs0NUE

[Fridays Child]

5. The arrogance of Condi, trying to smooth things over for Blackwater.

It's just un-frickin-believable. :mad:

[partylessinOhio]

6. You said you gave them FREEDOM, *, now let them use it.

Out with Blackwater!

[jmm]

7. Watch, we'll stand in the way of

the Iraqi government holding Blackwater accountable for it's actions. Even though we have no problem with them executing many such as Saddam and they're supposedly meeting all kinds of benchmarks I'm willing to bet we won't trust them to hold a real trial for any of our mercenaries private security companies.

[Theduckno2]

8. This could turn out to be a galvanizing issue for the Iraqis.

If Maliki were left unsatisfied in regards to Blackwater's ouster, is it possible that the Iraqis could consider switching to Euros as their petro-currency of choice?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1850874

If the rest of the Middle East moves out of the dollar, why can't the Iraqis?

I posted in a similar thread yesterday that I felt the private security contractors play an integral role in Bushco's Iraq and any possible troop reductions rely on the current levels of those contractors in Iraq.

[kurth]

9. If you want to kill random civilians without consequences, join Blackwater

We'd LOVE to have you on board.

[Jed Dilligan]

10. So what's stopping them from giving the boot?

I feel like this is posturing by the puppet government to pretend they're on the people's side. The top guys in the Iraqi govt. don't REALLY want Blackwater out, but they need the people to think they have backbone. They will yell and scream, but it's still up to our government, not their (fake) one, to end this mess.

[Purveyor]

11. Al-Maliki Says Blackwater Should Be Replaced for `Criminal Act'

Source: Bloomberg News

Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called on the U.S. to replace Blackwater, the security company that protects State Department staff in Iraq, after the firm was involved in a shooting incident he called a ``criminal act''.

``The Americans should hire another company to protect their people,'' al-Maliki said in a news conference aired today on state television. The ``criminal act'' wasn't the first involving the company, he said.

The Iraqi government said it was suspending Blackwater's operating license and reviewing all security companies in Iraq following a Baghdad shooting on Sept. 16. The incident, which involved guards from the company, left eight civilians dead, the Interior Ministry said. Moyock, North Carolina-based Blackwater USA has said its personnel acted in self-defense.

A preliminary Interior Ministry report into the shooting said that the Blackwater guards weren't ambushed, and fired at a car when it ignored a policeman's order to halt, killing a couple and their child, the New York Times reported today. The Ministry of Defense report said helicopter fire was also involved, and that some 20 Iraqis were killed, a larger figure than initially reported by the Interior Ministry, the Times said.


Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHKR3Egw68Qc&refer=home

[sabra]

12. but not kicked out of the country...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1841051&mesg_id=1841051

[uppityperson]

16. Here is today's clip, "for their own interests" USA should dump BW, but not made to leave. Bah

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gAB8am9XX14L5HGNw7tgsPBQ-rCA
Iraq wants Blackwater replaced after shootout

5 hours ago

BAGHDAD (AFP) — Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Wednesday called on the US authorities to replace private security operator Blackwater after a deadly shootout involving the firm's guards in Baghdad.

Maliki's call came as US and Iraqi officials were locked in talks trying to defuse the crisis sparked when Blackwater guards escorting US embassy officials opened fire in a Baghdad neighbourhood, killing 10 people and wounding 13. "This crime has generated a lot of hatred in the government and the people against Blackwater," Maliki told reporters. "For their own interests, the Americans should hire a new company to protect their people so they can move freely."
(clip)


Dabbagh indicated however that the ban would not be permanent. "We understand that this company is giving security to embassy staff so we don't want to revoke their licence permanently," he said. "We want them operate within the laws of Iraq. They used effective fire against civilians and we don't want this to happen again. We will decide the course of action to be taken (in talks with US officials)."

[sabra]

17. exactly, Maliki is trying to save some kind of face...

[Kagemusha]

13. This incident must be the same as dozens of others

where mercs or US troops alike fired on cars ignoring a policeman's order to halt, which is a really good way to get killed in that country.

[Nihil]

21. Oh that's all right then?

If it's "the same as dozens of others" then what the hell are the Iraqis
complaining about? Ungrateful bastards, thinking they can watch their kids
grow up in their own country without the risk of some wankhead deciding
to open fire on them ...

I hope you notice that not only are the rest of the world blurring the
lines between "US soldier" and "mercenary" but even Americans are doing
it now ... hope they/you don't mind when a few US soldiers are BBQ'd
in revenge - their dependents might not get the pension payoff that
mercs get but at least they'll end up with a medal and a rag to wrap
it in ...

[Kagemusha]

22. Why should I "not mind" when a few (more) US soldiers are killed?

My feelings or what I "mind" aren't going to change a thing. Apparently just laying out a relevant fact is just too provocative and insulting for the standards of this message board. That's too bad.

I'm still not going to actually cheer for US troops and diplomats to be "BBQ'd".

[Nihil]

24. Because it will be "the same as dozens of other (incidents)"

... where "mercs or US troops alike" are killed for ignoring the fact
that invading is also "a really good way to get killed in that country".

:shrug:

That's too bad.

[Kagemusha]

27. Yeah, it is too bad. It's not surprising. It's dreadfully, depressingly common.

This is the cost of aggressive protection of US convoys. The best defense, as they say in The Karate Kid, is not to be there.

Simple.

[cliss]

14. The reason Al Maliki is speaking out now

is that the whole occupation of Iraq is becoming questionable. The fact that there's so little support for the US to remain there, is giving him courage to speak up.

This is one incident Bush can't cover up.

[W T F]

15. Blackwater will just change it's name

use the same employees and replace it's old self with it's new self.
any bets on that one?

[ohio2007]

18. WHo will he "Replace" Blackwater with?

laid off Iraqi Republican Guard or regular army ?

[Acadia Blue]

19. Good question. Blackwater should have never been allowed to

take the plade of highly trained military. They do what they want and kill whoever gets in the way without following military guidelines.

[saigon68]

20. "Puppet" Al-Maliki will soon have his trap closed by his Master

"Gangster" President Cheney

I'm actually surprised he was "allowed" to even utter this

[goodhue]

25. Bush 'saddened' by deaths in Blackwater shooting

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5isVHr1cb7gBVUq37GMJl-CUarFXg

[goodhue]

26. legal limbo

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/20/world/middleeast/20blackwater.html?em&ex=1190433600&en=2101831599e1231f&ei=5087%0A