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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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October 11th,
2007 - U.S. Military and Iraqis Say They Are Shut Out of Inquiry |
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U.S. Military
and Iraqis Say They Are Shut Out of Inquiry By Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Michael R. Gordon New York Times October 11, 2007 Baghdad, Oct. 10 - Nearly
four weeks after the deadly shootings at a central Baghdad square involving
the Blackwater USA private security firm, American military officials and
Iraqi investigators say the F.B.I. and State Department are refusing to share
information with them on their investigation into the killings. The American military has
not been allowed to speak to Blackwater employees who were in Nisour Square
that day, nor have military officials been shown the Blackwater vehicle that
the company and State Department officials have said was disabled during the
events of Sept. 16 just west of the heavily fortified Green Zone, according
to a senior American military officer. Blackwater provides security
here for employees of the State Department, which began an investigation into
the shootings last month. But in recent days a team of agents from the
Federal Bureau of Investigation has taken the lead in the inquiry and has
been asking Iraqi investigators for information about the case. However, Iraqi investigators
say the F.B.I. and State Department have not provided information about the
investigation to their Iraqi counterparts, despite repeated requests. A
senior Iraqi investigator said that American military officers had also
interviewed Iraqi witnesses, collected evidence from Nisour Square and talked
to Iraqi investigators. “We haven’t received any
information from the Americans about their own two investigations,” the
senior Iraqi investigator said. “F.B.I. investigators have asked us to help
them and share our information, as they have started a third investigation.” The senior American military
officer said the State Department had also refused to provide details of its
investigation. “We have asked questions,” the official said. “They have not
responded back on those.” Both the Iraqi investigator and the American military
officer spoke on condition of anonymity because neither was authorized to
discuss the investigations publicly. The State Department’s chief
spokesman, Sean McCormack, said State Department and Blackwater officials
were cooperating with the investigation but were not authorized to speak
directly to the Pentagon or Iraqi authorities about it. The F.B.I. is leading
the inquiry, he said. “It is a matter of
bureaucratic arrangement that they have the lead,” Mr. McCormack said. “They
are going to exercise their prerogatives with respect to the integrity of the
investigation.” Independent of the events of
Sept. 16, the State Department is conducting an internal review of private
security contractors’ operations and will share the results as different
phases are completed, Mr. McCormack said. A senior Justice Department
official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to
discuss the investigation in detail, said it was no surprise that the F.B.I.
had not provided information to the military or Iraqi investigators at such
an early stage of the inquiry. “We just got on the ground
there,” he said, adding that agents on the case arrived in the country in the
last week. “I’m sure at the appropriate levels, liaison is being done. But we
don’t keep everyone apprised of every move of our investigation.” Iraqi officials say that 17
people were killed on Sept. 16 when a Blackwater convoy opened fire on Iraqi
motorists and bystanders in Nisour Square. The senior American military
officer said that as far as the military had been able to determine, the
Blackwater convoy did not take fire and the shootings were unprovoked. “It
was an abuse of force,” the military official said. “There was no imminent
threat. We believe innocent people were killed. We believe that things were
taken to a level very quickly when it was not necessary.” In written testimony submitted
to Congress but not made public, Blackwater has said that the convoy came
under attack by automatic weapons fire. The company has also said it is
cooperating with investigators. An official at the United
States Embassy in Baghdad said of the Blackwater employees involved in the
events in Nisour Square, “No one has left the country; everybody involved in
the incident is here and available.” Reporting was contributed by
James Glanz, Alissa J. Rubin and Qais Mizher from Baghdad, and Philip Shenon
and John M. Broder from Washington. Copyright 2007 The New York
Times Company External link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/11/world/middleeast/11blackwater.html |