Blackwater Gets Babysitters!

[babylonsister]

Rice Issues New Rules for Blackwater USA


MATTHEW LEE | October 5, 2007 07:04 PM EST | AP


WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ordered federal agents on Friday to ride with Blackwater USA escorts of U.S. diplomatic convoys in Baghdad to tighten oversight after a shooting in which private guards are accused of killing 13 Iraqi civilians.

She also ordered video cameras installed in Blackwater vehicles.

The steps will require the State Department to deploy dozens of additional in-house Diplomatic Security agents to accompany Blackwater guards and are the first in a series of moves Rice is expected to take to boost control of contractors the agency relies on to protect diplomats in Iraq.

They are aimed at "putting in place more robust assets to make sure that the management, reporting and accountability function works as best as it possibly can," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

The measures, which also include recording radio traffic between the embassy and diplomatic convoys and improving communications between those vehicles and U.S. military units in the vicinity, were implemented amid intense criticism of the department's security practices in Iraq and Blackwater's role.

more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20071005/blackwater-rice/

[kurth]

1. NEXT: FBI agents to ride with State Dept agents who ride with Blackwater

Add 300% to the bill.

[lonestarnot]

2. Waste more fucking money why don't you. Nutfuckery. IMPEACH.

Do you know the payscale of FBI agents?

[babylonsister]

3. I know it's ludicrous; we know it could all be stopped. nt

[tanyev]

4. Gonna be a lot of video cameras suffering "collateral damage".

[babylonsister]

5. Good point, but I wonder what kind of relationship there is between

Blackwater and the FBI, or if there is one.