Blackwater security firm banned from Iraq

Blackwater security firm banned from Iraq

edition.cnn.com

Iraq's Interior Ministry has revoked the license of Blackwater Security Consulting, an American firm whose contractors are blamed for a Sunday gunbattle in Baghdad that left eight civilians dead.

The firefight took place near Nisoor Square about noon, an Interior Ministry official said Sunday. In addition to the fatalities, 14 people were wounded, most of them civilians, the official said.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Ok, details are still vague, but I doubt this firefight is the only reason for banning Blackwater from Iraq. Making use of their impunity mercenaries in Iraq have been blamed for numerous crimes, much more than the regular US soldiers. While I salute the decision of the Interior Ministry, I wonder why it comes now, and why they decide to stand against the US on that occasion. This is potentially huge IMO.

edition.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Thread about the same news item, moved to WOT forum by moderation:
WOT - Thread

reply to post by northwolf


One in this forum and one in the other is fine. The other was moved because the available news source link takes the reader to a foreign language site.

Carry on.

Blackwater security firm banned from Iraq

Very nice excerpt from Jeremy Scahill's book, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" can be found here: MediaMouse: Blackwater The entire review is a nice read. Here are some interesting details of Blackwater's history:

The second event was the attack against the USS Cole in October of 2000. With Prince's connection to the Navy, he was able to negotiate a contract worth $35.7 million to conduct "force protection training." However, the biggest incident that propelled Blackwater to its current status were the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Blackwater was quickly providing training and gaining contracts with the FBI, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Treasury and even the Department of Health and Human Services. These connections eventually led to the agency's work in Iraq, which landed them their most high profile contract - guarding Paul Bremer in Iraq. This no-bid contract was worth $27.7 million that included "personal security detail and two helicopters for Bremer." Not surprising, Bremer is also Catholic and has maintained an intimate relationship with Prince and Blackwater even after his reign in Iraq. This symbiotic relationship led Bremer to create Order 17 as his last political act in Iraq. Order 17 in effect protects those in the private mercenary business from being prosecuted from any wrongdoing. Once Blackwater made a name for themselves in Iraq business really took off.

Then Fallujah happened. Several Blackwater contractors were killed in what Scahill documents as a botched mission. This didn't stop the administration and Blackwater in using the Blackwater deaths as justification for a massive military assault on that city just after the 2004 Presidential election. Blackwater used the incident to hire its first lobbyist, Paul Behrends, from the Republican lobbying firm Alexander Strategy Group
....

Read the whole article for more details on the religious connections (Theocons), the recruits from Latin America, and the hiring of CIA veterans. Obviously being the biggest private military contractor, this decision goes against the US (business)interests. My bet is that the barring of Blackwater from Iraq will be overruled...

Wow, this is huge.

I wonder if this banning will stand. I have a feeling the US will insist on reinstating the license, because they will say they need the help. Maybe this is a turning point for the Iraqi government. If we can't end this war, maybe they will.

I agree Hal this more than huge, the blackwater is not the only firm working in Iraq is many of them including some from the UK.

Blackwater happens to be the one with most incidents involving civilians.

I don't think Haliburton is going to like this one, after all Haliburton owns Iraq.

Will there now be gun fights between blackwater and the Iraqi forces ? and will the US now help blackwater and then fight the army they trained?

Iraq can ban these guys all they want, but if Bush and company want them there, they're gonna stay.

Blackwater goons are getting good urban warfare training over in Iraq, training that will serve them well once they start start sweeping houses over here in the US, once again with impunity, when martial law comes to pass.

Peace

Blackwater does what the US leaders are afraid to do, kill the enemy. In a war where the enemy is always in civilian clothes, how does one tell if they were civilians?

Perhaps BW's sin is they killed the bad guys without permission............

Blacwater is responsible for all those truck bombings in the markets, that is what Blackwater does.
Religious wars are not like that - killing indiscriminately.
They bomb to destabilize that country and to have a reason to stay there.

www.boston.com...

WASHINGTON -- The FBI's counterterrorism unit has launched a broad investigation of US-based theft rings after discovering that some of the vehicles used in deadly car bombings in Iraq, including attacks that killed US troops and Iraqi civilians, were probably stolen in the United States, according to senior government officials.

[edit on 17-9-2007 by pai mei]

I think it is about time.

I think it is ironic that the Administration and all their "Support Our Troops" lackeys never mention that Blackwater exists, that they are on the ground in Iraq, and that they get paid via our tax dollars at least 3 times what one of out' troops' makes.

I support our troops. I always have had great respect for the US military, even meeting many of my Grandfather's close friends who were career. I do not suppot Blackwater Mercenaries, and I never will.

Congress should demand a refund!

DocMoreau

I note that CNN doesn't make it very clear that a convoy of U.S. State Department Diplomats came under attack.

The convoy security staff are supposed to do what? File a complaint? Jump out of the trucks and say, stop, or I'll say stop again?

How is it that a convoy came under fire? Who knew where they would be? Why did the attackers choose to attack from a public setting, surrounded by civilians, I wonder? What measures have been taken to find the attackers?

Lots and lots of questions on this one. For example, Iraqi PM says

"Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki condemns and strongly denounces the criminal operation committed by one of the foreign security companies in Al-Nissur Square,"

Yet, not a word condeming the group who attacked the Diplomatic Convoy and started the firefight from an area crowded with civilians? Interesting.

It's terrible to see that civilians were killed, and its preferable that nobody were killed. Its even more prefered that a Diplomatic Convoy would not be attacked, and that if it is, the attackers be condemned. Since they were attacked, SOP from any security team requires that cover fire be returned while an escape is made.

Al Bawaba says that an order to cancel Blackwaters license has been issued. Not that the license has been revoked. There is a difference me thinks. Time will tell.

Who called for the cancelation of the license? The Iraq interior minister (Jawad al-Bolani). What is his background?

Bulani has been a member of several political parties since Coalition forces removed Hussein from power:

The Sadrist Movement of Muqtada al-Sadr
The Hizbollah (Iraq) party of Abdel-Karim Mahoud al-Mohammedawi
The Islamic Virtue Party
wiki

In addition, an investigation of the incident has been called for.

"We have opened a criminal investigation against the group who committed the crime."

(meaning Blackwater)

So where is the call for an investigation on who attacked the convoy? An investigation on how they knew the convoy would be in the area, etc.?

Not in love with Blackwater, but there appears to be another side of a coin that is not even being discussed, or condemned. Whats up with that?

what if blackwater was moving out because something huge is going to happen over there? and they will be needed here. This could be a cover story for whats really going on.

blackwater would be no good to anyone if they were killed or caught in a radiation cloud,i hear alot about this blackwater and they seem to be the admin's guns for hire.

they should have never been in iraq in the first place.

Even if Blackwater were banned from operations in Iraq, im sure that BlackH2O would start receiving multi million dollar contracts. And suprise suprise. BlackH2O would have the same board of directors as Blackwater.

reply to post by KINGOFPAIN


Oh Man, I didn't think of that. If they can't stay in Iraq, where are they going to go? Back here of course... CRAP CRAP CRAP!!!!

I want them disbanded... and I want them to repay their no bid wages....

It still sickens me that Blackwater gets fat, starts drama in Iraq, and the 'TROOPS' suffer most of the casualties and flack for being over there.

It is interesting how much of the 'unrest' and 'insurgency' did not start until Blackwater was making the rounds. You all remember that time period, the one of 'Shock and Awe' and Mission Accomplished Banners...

DocMoreau

Originally posted by makeitso
I note that CNN doesn't make it very clear that a convoy of U.S. State Department Diplomats came under attack.

Where does it say that they were "U.S. State Department Diplomats"?

Neither article says who BW was protecting.

How is it that a convoy came under fire? Who knew where they would be? Why did the attackers choose to attack from a public setting, surrounded by civilians, I wonder?

Good question, but my guess is that it could have been a regular scheduled trip or someone taking advantage of an opportunity. It also bothers me that the locals do not condemn the insurgents or that they are never held accountable.

Al Bawaba says that an order to cancel Blackwaters license has been issued. Not that the license has been revoked. There is a difference me thinks. Time will tell.

I think it is pretty clear in the first article that they are no longer allowed to operate.

An Interior Ministry spokesman, Brig. Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf, said, "We have revoked Blackwater's license to operate in Iraq. As of now they are not allowed to operate anywhere in the Republic of Iraq. The investigation is ongoing, and all those responsible for Sunday's killing will be referred to Iraqi justice."

Originally posted by DocMoreau
Oh Man, I didn't think of that. If they can't stay in Iraq, where are they going to go? Back here of course... CRAP CRAP CRAP!!!!

Trust me, there's plenty in the middle east to keep them busy. Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, a few other 'stans. Blackwater is probably singlehandedly responsible for the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Who's on who's side is the question we all need to ask?

Edit: And I wouldn't be surprised if these guys are running around dressed as the "enemy".

Peace

[edit on 17-9-2007 by Dr Love]

Originally posted by KINGOFPAIN
what if blackwater was moving out because something huge is going to happen over there? and they will be needed here. This could be a cover story for whats really going on.

Interesting point.I didn't think of that. With the attack (nuclear?) on Iran looking closer than ever, it could be that Blackwater would be needed elsewhere. Eventual social untrest (revote) back in US can happen with probably most if not all of Americans seeing how huge a mistake a new war can be. Those two recent news items support this theory IMO:
Bush setting up America up for war with Iran
Bowman Asks Military to refuse orders to attack Iran

No problem, they changed the name to Sewage Security. Girlfriend dump you, anyone want to make $186,000 a year? They need American suicide bombers. 1 year contracts avialiable.