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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
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December 18th,
2008 - Blackwater Radio Logs: Guards Took Incoming Fire |
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Blackwater Radio Logs:
Guards Took Incoming Fire By Matt Apuzzo & Lara Jakes Associated Press December 18, 2008 Washington - Radio logs from
a deadly 2007 shooting in Baghdad contradict U.S. government claims that
Blackwater Worldwide security guards were unprovoked when they killed 14
Iraqi civilians. Five guards face
manslaughter and weapons charges for their roles in the shootings. A sixth
has pleaded guilty. Prosecutors said the men unleashed a gruesome attack on
unarmed Iraqis, including women, children and people trying to escape. But Blackwater communication
logs from the Sept. 16, 2007 shooting suggest otherwise. The logs, turned
over to prosecutors, describe a hectic eight minutes in which the guards
repeatedly reported incoming gunfire from insurgents and Iraqi police. Copies
of the documents were obtained by The Associated Press. Because Blackwater guards
were authorized to fire in self-defense, any evidence their convoy was
attacked will make it harder for the Justice Department to prove they acted
unlawfully. The logs, which document
radio traffic heard by the company's dispatch center inside the
U.S.-controlled Green Zone, show that the Blackwater convoy known as Raven 23
reported taking small arms fire from insurgents within one minute of shutting
down traffic in Baghdad's Nisoor Square. "Mult insuirg SAF @
R23," the log states at 12:12 p.m. One minute later, the Raven
23 convoy reported taking fire from Iraqi police: "R23 rpts IPs shooting
@ R23." It's unclear why Iraqi
police would fire on the Blackwater convoy. Prosecutors could argue the
police fired because they believed Blackwater was attacking civilians. It's
also common for insurgents to dress as Iraqi police or military officials. Raven 23 was told to leave
the square and return to the Green Zone at 12:14, according to the logs. But
one minute later, the convoy reported that one of its heavily armored
vehicles was disabled. Guards jumped out of another truck and set up a tow
rig, still under fire, according to the logs. "R23 in trfc still
under sporadic SAF," the log shows at 12:20 p.m., as the convoy made its
way back to the Green Zone. "Unless these guys are
lying to their command watch in real time, making up stuff, that's real-time
reporting that they were taking small arms fire," said defense attorney
Thomas Connolly, who represents Nick Slatten, a former Army sergeant and
indicted Blackwater guard. Connolly provided the logs
to the AP because he said prosecutors knew there was evidence of a firefight,
yet unfairly described it as a massacre. "The Justice Department
began their presentation to the American people with a lie," Connolly
said. Justice Department spokesman
Dean Boyd declined to discuss the contents of the logs. "We cannot
comment on evidence related to a pending case, but we are fully prepared to
address in court arguments made by the defense concerning the documents you
reference," he said. Blackwater, based in Moyock,
N.C., confirmed the authenticity of the logs but declined further comment. The logs add a new
uncertainty to an already murky case. Iraqi witnesses say Blackwater fired
the only shots. And some Raven 23 members, including at least one who set up
the tow rig, told authorities they saw no gunfire, according to people close
to the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to discuss it publicly. Others in the convoy told
authorities they did see enemy gunfire. And Blackwater turned over to
prosecutors pictures of vehicles pocked with bullet holes, which the company
says proves the guards were shot at. The photos were not time-stamped,
however, and the trucks were repainted and repaired by the time FBI agents
began investigating. The Iraqi government has
labeled the guards "criminals" and is closely watching the
Blackwater case. The shooting strained diplomacy between Washington and
Baghdad and fueled anti-American insurgency in Iraq. U.S. prosecutors were
aggressive in their charges against the guards. They used an anti-machine gun
law to attach 30-year mandatory prison sentences to the charges. And though
they can't say for sure exactly which guards shot which victims, all five
guards are charged with 14 counts of manslaughter. A sixth Blackwater guard
struck a deal with prosecutors, turned on his former colleagues, and pleaded
guilty to killing one Iraqi and wounding another. "Those who engaged in
unprovoked and illegal attacks on civilians, whether during times of conflict
or times of peace, will be held accountable," national security
prosecutor Patrick Rowan told reporters when announcing the indictments. Mark Hulkower, an attorney
representing Army veteran and former Blackwater guard Paul Slough, said the
logs undermine that claim. "It's absolutely
bizarre that the Department of Justice thinks it can call balls and strikes
for every shot fired in a firefight," Hulkower said. "I think a
jury would be reluctant to do that." In all, 17 Iraqis were
killed in the assault. Rowan said evidence in the case could only prove the
guards shot 14, although he left open the possibility of future charges.
Blackwater Worldwide and its corporate officers were not charged. Copyright © 2008 The
Associated Press. External link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jtLfZVVNZF72Pzftxt21yza9lVwAD955AAR81 |