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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
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April 20th,
2009 - Blackwater out of Iraq? No, not yet. |
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Blackwater out of Iraq? No,
not yet. By Matthew Lee & Mike Baker Associated Press April 20, 2009 Washington - Armed guards
from the security firm once known as Blackwater Worldwide are still
protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq, even though the company has no license to
operate there and has been told by the State Department its contracts will
not be renewed two years after a lethal firefight that stirred outrage in
Baghdad. Private security guards
employed by the company, now known as Xe, are slated to continue ground
operations in parts of Iraq long into the summer, far longer than had
previously been acknowledged, government officials told The Associated Press. In addition, helicopters
working for Xe's aviation wing, Presidential Airways, will provide air
security for U.S. diplomatic convoys into September, almost two years after
the Iraqi government first said it wanted the firm out. The company's continued
presence raises fresh questions about the strength of Iraq's sovereignty even
as the Obama administration urges the budding government to take more
responsibility for the nation's future. Iraqis had long complained
about incidents caused by Blackwater's operations. Then a shooting by
Blackwater guards in Baghdad's Nisoor Square in September, 2007 left 17
civilians dead, further strained relations between Baghdad and Washington and
led U.S. prosecutors to bring charges against the Blackwater contractors
involved. That deadly incident was the
end, Iraqi leaders said. Blackwater had to get out. But State Department
officials acknowledge the company is still there. The company declined to
comment about a timetable for leaving. "We follow the direction of our
U.S. government client," Xe spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said. Last
February, Blackwater changed its name to Xe - pronounced ZEE - in a bid to
leave its controversial reputation behind. Defense analyst Loren
Thompson of the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va., said Iraq's ability to
enforce bans on companies like Blackwater may provide an early measurement of
the strength of its internal sovereignty. As the Iraqi leaders gain more
control, he said, the final exit for Blackwater will be inevitable. "But let's face it,
they're not entirely their own masters yet," he said. In Baghdad, an Iraqi
security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not
authorized to talk to the media, said that while Xe will not be allowed to
work in Iraq, the company needs "some time" to fully shut down its
operations there. The official did not give further details on the timetable. The State Department's
continued reliance on Blackwater also underscores the difficulties facing the
U.S. government in finding other options to protect its diplomats in
dangerous areas. Department officials said
this month that Blackwater guards would stop protecting U.S. diplomats on the
ground in Baghdad on May 7, when the company's contract for that specific job
expires and a new security provider, Triple Canopy, takes over. But in its statement
following the Iraqi government's decision to prohibit Blackwater from
operating there, State did not reveal that the firm has two other contracts -
known as "task orders" - that do not expire until August and
September respectively. Blackwater guards will
remain on the ground protecting American diplomats in al Hillah, Najaf and
Karbala, all south of Baghdad, until Aug. 4, according to the department. And Presidential Airways -
which operates some two dozen helicopters - will continue to fly until Sept.
3, it said. After the Nisoor Square
deaths, Iraqi officials ruled that North Carolina-based Blackwater would be
barred from operating in the country. Despite the ban, the State Department
renewed Blackwater's contract seven months later, in April, 2008. It wasn't until January of
this year, when Iraqi authorities denied the company an operating license,
that the Obama administration said it would not renew the company's existing
task orders. On Jan. 30, the department
said it had informed Blackwater in writing that it "did not plan to
renew the company's existing task orders for protective security detail in
Iraq." On Feb. 2, though, the
department signed a revised task order for Presidential Airways that allowed
the Blackwater-owned airline to operate through Sept. 3, according to a
federal public procurement database. Department officials deny
any impropriety in the move because the change in the task order was a
revision of an old contract. Karl Duckworth, a State spokesman, said the
Iraqi government did not tell U.S. officials until March 19 that it would bar
Presidential Airways' flights. "Based on the
government of Iraq's decision, the department notified Xe in writing that it
did not plan to renew the company's task order for aviation services in
Iraq," Duckworth said. Duckworth said that State
would "re-compete the aviation task order," allowing Xe and
Virginia-based DynCorp and Triple Canopy to bid for the air security
contract. Xe is technically allowed to
rebid under federal law because it holds the existing task order. But State
would not grant the company a contract because it lacks an operating license
in Iraq, officials said. The State Department has not
yet selected a successor to Blackwater for ground protection in al Hillah.
But both Triple Canopy and DynCorp have the capability to do the job. Some of the same security
personnel who worked for Blackwater might simply transfer to the new
companies operating there, industry experts say. "As Triple Canopy's
work expands, the logical place to start looking and interviewing and
evaluating employees will be those who are already there, those who have some
skills and are already employed by Blackwater," said Alan Chvotkin, a
senior vice president and counsel for the trade group Professional Services
Council. Xe, DynCorp and Triple
Canopy are all members of the council. Chvotkin added that in view
of the controversies over Blackwater's role, "Triple Canopy and other
security companies are making an independent assessment of any individual
before deciding whether to hire them." The Iraqi official also said
that some former Blackwater officials could remain in Iraq, depending on
their experience. The transition from
Blackwater to a new air security firm may be even more complicated. Chvotkin
said it will not be easy to find a firm with Blackwater's air resources.
Blackwater should not be ruled out as an option, he said. "Since the nature of
the work is so very different, there may actually be authority for them to
operate the air services contract even though they don't have a license for
private security," Chvotkin said. Blackwater has been shifting
its focus to other lines of business, including international training and
air support in places like Afghanistan and Africa. Mike Baker reported from
Raleigh, N.C. Associated Press Writer Brian Murphy contributed to this report
from Baghdad. Copyright © 2009 The
Associated Press. External link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g4OiK8Bkks3epqQ-eXeiSGX6cu7gD97MCPM80 |