US Military Official: Blackwater "May Be Worse Than Abu Ghraib"

[seemslikeadream]

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/63604/

This post, written by Steve Benen, originally appeared on The Carpetbagger Report

To describe the ongoing Blackwater scandal as a fiasco would be a dramatic understatement. Not only do we have a situation in which private security contractors stand accused of killing Iraqi civilians without provocation, we also have deep divisions brewing between the Pentagon and the State Department, coupled by State stonewalling a congressional investigation.


A confrontation between the U.S. military and the State Department is unfolding over the involvement of Blackwater USA in the shooting deaths of Iraqi civilians in a Baghdad square Sept. 16, bringing to the surface long-simmering tensions between the military and private security companies in Iraq, according to U.S. military and government officials.


In high-level meetings over the past several days, U.S. military officials have pressed State Department officials to assert more control over Blackwater, which operates under the department's authority, said a U.S. government official with knowledge of the discussions. "The military is very sensitive to its relationship that they've built with the Iraqis being altered or even severely degraded by actions such as this event," the official said.

"This is a nightmare," said a senior U.S. military official. "We had guys who saw the aftermath, and it was very bad. This is going to hurt us badly. It may be worse than Abu Ghraib, and it comes at a time when we're trying to have an impact for the long term."

At this point, the State Department seems to be treating Blackwater contractors as the agency's own private army, accountable to no one outside the department. The Maliki government believes Blackwater is a criminal enterprise, the Iraqi people resent Blackwater's presence, the Pentagon believes Blackwater is lying about the Sept. 16 incident in Nisoor Square, and congressional Democrats have questions about what has transpired -- which the State Department refuses to answer.

[Kagemusha]

1. I don't agree with the military position at all. They've done just as bad.

They're treating Blackwater as a scapegoat. Yeah well, the US Army and US Marine Corps have shot up a lot of kids, women, reporters, etc etc etc, so it's pretty darn funny to see them talking about how Blackwater is ruining THEIR reputation. They don't have a good reputation to lose. Blackwater employees make more money and are answerable to basically no one and not a single one has been brought to justice for anything, whereas SOME military people have been held accountable, but very, very few, and even those are derided as morale-killing exercises in futility. And it lets the military act holier than thou with the State Dept.

But hey, if I was in politics, I'd use the gift and tar Blackwater all the more, too. It's not like they're saints.

[whopis01]

4. Indeed. The military has done far worse than what Blackwater has done. n/t

[seemslikeadream]

5. mercenaries kill for money

[Kagemusha]

17. So killing just for the fun and enjoyment of it would somehow be better?

That's not computing on my end, sorry.

[seemslikeadream]

19. So killing just for the fun and enjoyment

Are you talking about the military?

[Kagemusha]

21. If they're not getting merc $, that's what your statement implies, yes?

I skipped critiquing how Blackwater does guard duties for convoys and so on, and not contract killings, because while that's true, it's also such small change compared to the problem of their being even less accountable than the US military so what's the point of dwelling?

But, take that story about the snipers laying objects upon slain corpses and then killing everyone who goes to pick them up because well, they must be insurgents. They're not doing that for money.

[seemslikeadream]

22. no I didn't mean that at all

I meant what I said, mercs kill for money.

Soldiers do not kill for money, I guess there might be some you kill for enjoyment but there also many who really did believe they were fighting for this country.



They're not doing that for money

They were there because of money not for country

[tuckessee]

23. Some soldiers do kill for money.

What about the "economic draft" & soldiers who re-up for the huge $ bonuses?

[Kagemusha]

24. The money doesn't even matter.

If you bait children and young adults in an 80% unemployment area for scavenging off the bodies of people who had US snipers plant stuff on them, and shoot them in cold blood from long range, I do not care who is paying you, what they are paying you, whatever. I don't care if it's for love of your country or love of killing. This is a political game that treats some murders as less offensive than others. There is war, there is killing, and then there is murder.

There are supposedly cases of Blackwater (& other) employees shooting Iraqis for sport. That too is murder, and I don't give one dime whether it's uniformed soldiers or mercenaries committing murder, murder is wrong. It's not as if Blackwater people are PAID to kill Iraqis for sport - the inability to touch them for doing so (even in a magical situation where they're caught and ID'd) is what makes it happen. The paid work is the paid work. Sport is separate. And by and large, the paid work is for Uncle Sam; often directly, and often not, but still advancing Uncle Sam's interests. They work for the State Department in one instance, the instance re: the recent big incident.

In other words, I do not give a penny about the "they do it for money" part. My problem is with the people paying them this money. My problem is with the people not supervising those they have hired and allowing this cowboy atmosphere. The money doesn't magically make it more evil. The unaccountability under the law, is the real problem.

[seemslikeadream]

25. There's got to be a little more to it or they'd go for the big bucks

[tekisui]

2. "...comes at time when we're trying to have an impact for the long term."

This military official admitted what our dear leaders deny. The occupation is most definitely for the long term.

This is also why the State Dept. doesn't want anything to change. They need BW there or they can't play their long term game.

This is going to be the evidence to formally charge the heads in the State Dept. with war crimes.

[Flabbergasted]

3. K and R

[hootinholler]

6. YOU"RE BACK!

:annoying bouncy green thingy O joy:

But I saw a tombstone!

:hug:

Now to read the OP

-Hoot

[seemslikeadream]

7. Hey there I guess you missed these?

:hug:



AIN'T GONNA LET NOBODY TURN ME AROUND
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1896963


Burma is on the Brink of Revolution
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1893560

Monks killed as soldiers shoot at protesters

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1910902&mesg_id=1910902

[hootinholler]

28. Purposely and I didn't notice you were the OP.

Let's just say I can't deal very well with all the shit in the world today.

-Hoot

[AntiFascist]

30. Welcome back seemslikeadream....

I always like it when DUers dig up the news that's hard to find elsewhere.

[yardwork]

8. Welcome back!

Everything to do with the invasion and occupation of Iraq is one huge nightmare. How can one choose between the horror of Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and all our other secret prisons, Blackwater and other mercenaries, and the military?

I know that most of our troops are good and decent people doing the best they can, but the mission itself is so wrong, and the way it's been done is so wrong, it's no wonder that everything goes bad.

It's just one long mistake.

[seemslikeadream]

11. every day I think it just can't get much worse

and every day it does

Thanks :hi:

[yardwork]

12. Well, today's a little brighter. You're back on DU!

[wildbilln864]

9. K&R! Thank you seems! n/t

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

10. Oh, you can BET they've already had a long term impact.

It must be nice to really believe in the fantasy that all the mayhem they've been in charge of has been for the greater good.

[Canuckistanian]

13. Whatever happened to using the military for security?

I keep hearing that Blackwater and other security firms are essential to the State Dept. Someone actually said that if they got rid of Blackwater in Iraq, who would they use?

Um, how about the military? How were diplomats and other officials protected in Viet Nam? Korea? WWII?

Have they totally disbanded the military civilian protection units?

[seemslikeadream]

14. There is not enough

There are 100,000 contractors in Iraq.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/04/AR2006120401311.html
Census Counts 100,000 Contractors in Iraq
Civilian Number, Duties Are Issues

By Renae Merle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 5, 2006; Page D01

There are about 100,000 government contractors operating in Iraq, not counting subcontractors, a total that is approaching the size of the U.S. military force there, according to the military's first census of the growing population of civilians operating in the battlefield.

[Canuckistanian]

18. 100,000 security contractors?

What the hell do they all do? Surely that many can't be needed for the State Dept.

[ManiacJoe]

34. No, not security.

Security contractors number around 10k to 20k according to reports elsewhere. Everyone else is doing logistics, support (cooking, maintenance, etc), and reconstruction. Not all are on the US payrolls.

Blackwater has about 1000 people in Iraq. 2-3 other American companies are supplying similar services for other clients.

[DLnyc]

16. I think the Marine Corps has previously had the guard function

Perhaps Condi's State Dept. doesn't want too many honest people knowing their business.

Criminals prefer to work with criminals -- they understand their thought-process better.

[BrotherBuzz]

26. The Marines have a long history of guarding US embassies

I suspect there may even be a token squad in the US embassy in Iraq for show and tell, and maybe doing the color guard thing.

[DLnyc]

29. Ironic, since it was the Marines who were sent into Falujah, after

some Blackwater yahoos got themselves killed there.

[Richard Steele]

20. B*sh's "base" doesn't make as much money that way. nm

[AtomicKitten]

15. The administration is blocking the investigation for a damn good reason

They were informed at a high level of the abuses and did nada, zip, goose-egg, in fact, insisted they be deemed untouchable when it comes to any accountability.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/23/MNQSSCGLL.DTL&feed=rss.news

ITMFA!

[G_j]

27. as they say,

a curse on both their houses

:hi:

[Uncle Joe]

31. They're a loose cannon outside of the military chain of command,

only bad can come from this.

[BrotherBuzz]

32. They are intentionally flying under the radar to avoid accountability

Privatizing the war is not only the logical extension of the Bush administration's mania for contracting everything out to the private sector; it also shields the White House's activities from the U.S. Congress.

Only bad can come from this. Indeed!

[Supersedeas]

33. will the GOP/TV Media Establishment cover this???