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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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September 17th,
2007 - Iraq Revokes Security Firm’s License After Shooting |
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Iraq Revokes Security Firm’s
License After Shooting By Sabrina Tavernise New York Times September 17, 2007 Baghdad - The Iraqi
government said Monday that it had revoked the license of Blackwater USA, a
private security company that provides protection for top American officials
in Iraq, after shots fired from an American diplomatic convoy killed eight
Iraqis. A spokesman for the Iraqi
Interior Ministry, Abdul-Karim Khalaf, said the authorities had canceled the
company’s license and barred its operations across Iraq. He said the
government would seek to prosecute those responsible for the deaths, although
according to the rules that govern private contractors here, it did not
appear that the Iraqis had the legal authority to do so. The incident took place in
Baghdad on Sunday, but the details are still unclear, American officials
could not say whether the Blackwater guards in the diplomatic motorcade had
caused any of the deaths. Bombs were going off in the area at the time. “There was a firefight,”
said Sean McCormack, the State Department spokesman. “We believe some
innocent life was lost. Nobody wants to see that. But I can’t tell you who
was responsible for that.” The episode struck a nerve
with Iraqis, who say that private security firms are quick to shoot and are
not held responsible for their actions. A law drawn up by the American
authority in Iraq in 2004 gives security firms immunity from Iraqi law. Senior officials, including
Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, expressed anger over the deaths. “This is a big crime that we
can’t stay silent before,” the Iraqi interior minister, Jawad al-Bolani, said
on Al Arabiya satellite television. “Any one who wants to have good relations
with Iraq has to respect Iraqis. We apply the law and are committed to it.” Blackwater guards provide
security for some of America’s most important officials in Iraq, including
the ambassador, and it was not clear on Monday whether the United States
would agree to end a relationship with a trusted contractor so quickly. “This incident will be the
true test of diplomacy between the State Department and the government of
Iraq,” an American official in Baghdad said. The official said he believed
the contract had been pulled, although Mr. McCormack said the State
Department had not been informed that the contract had been canceled. Legally, the Iraqi
government has the power to revoke the company’s registration, as private
security contractors must be registered with the Ministries of Interior and
Trade. In an effort to defuse the
situation, Mr. McCormack said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice planned to
call Mr. Maliki to express regret and assure him that the United States had
begun an investigation of the shooting. Blackwater became a notable
symbol of the war, marking a turning point, when four of its contractors were
dragged through the streets and hung on lampposts in the western city of
Falluja in 2004. External link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/17/world/middleeast/17cnd-iraq.html |