Blackwater License Being Revoked in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) - The Iraqi government said Monday that it was revoking the license of an American security firm accused of involvement in the deaths of eight civilians in a firefight that followed a car bomb explosion near a State Department motorcade.

The Interior Ministry said it would prosecute any foreign contractors found to have used excessive force in the Sunday shooting. It was latest accusation against the U.S.-contracted firms that operate with little or no supervision and are widely disliked by Iraqis who resent their speeding motorcades and forceful behavior.

Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karim Khalaf said eight civilians were killed and 13 were wounded when contractors believed to be working for Blackwater USA opened fire in a predominantly Sunni neighborhood of western Baghdad.

“We have canceled the license of Blackwater and prevented them from working all over Iraqi territory. We will also refer those involved to Iraqi judicial authorities,” Khalaf said.

There is one thing for certain, the U.S. Army can’t do the job that the Blackwater guys have been doing, they are not allowed to work in the same manner, the Iraqi security forces can’t do the job that the Blackwater guys gave been doing because they are too stupid and have a serious lack of guts, and now the Blackwater guys can’t do the job that they’ve been doing because they did the job they are hired to do?? Confused yet?? Read on.

There’s going to be some wealthy Iraqis getting killed without the protection that Blackwater offers, and unless the Iraqi government is really as stupid and hypocritical as I believe it to be, my guess is that someone at Blackwater has pissed them off, the Iraqi government that is, because you can bet dollars to doughnuts on this one, Blackwater isn’t the only Merc outfit in Iraq and for damn sure they’re not the only ones that are pulling a trigger when necessary.

The spokesman said witness reports pointed to Blackwater involvement but said the shooting was still under investigation. It was not immediately clear if the measure against Blackwater was intended to be temporary or permanent.

Blackwater, based in Moyock, N.C., provides security for many U.S. civilian operations in the country.

Blackwater, or their competition, also provide security for many wealthy Iraqis and their families, Iraqi diplomats and government officials and their families and visiting foreign diplomats, many other duties are performed by the employees of Backwater Security, they are a highly diversified group, those guys are the ultimate experience when it comes to being a professional hired gun, their loyalty is to the person(s) paying them, and they are outstanding at what they do.

The U.S. Embassy said a State Department motorcade came under small-arms fire that disabled one of the vehicles, which had to be towed from the scene near Nisoor Square in the Mansour district.

“There was a convoy of State Department personnel and a car bomb went off in proximity to them and there was an exchange of fire as the personnel were returning to the International Zone,” embassy spokesman Johann Schmonsees said, referring to the heavily fortified U.S.-protected area in central Baghdad also known as the Green Zone.

Officials provided no information about Iraqi casualties but said no State Department personnel were wounded or killed.

Read that last line again, no State Department personnel were wounded or killed, that means the Blackwater guys were doing their job in the way it was intended, it means MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, from folks that know what mission accomplished truly means, they brought their charges back home, safe and sound, they DID their job.

Blackwater personnel wear many different hats, but their primary mission in this incident was the protection of a U.S. State Department convoy, and it appears to me that the Blackwater personnel did their job well.

If the Iraqis wish to continue their enjoyment of the open ended support they are given by our President, they need to consider this, if the will of the American people turns very much more against them and our President, Iraq won’t be enjoying anything other than Sharia law, and maybe that’s not such a bad idea after all, and should that come to pass I’d be willing to bet that there will be some Iraqis screaming for the American security personnel to return and save them, people are funny that way, they don’t want the watchdog until after they’ve been burglarized, go figure.

Many of the contractors have been accused of indiscriminately firing at American and Iraqi troops, and of shooting to death an unknown number of Iraqi citizens who got too close to their heavily armed convoys, but none has faced charges or prosecution.

The above paragraph is an almost identical reprint from an AP story concerning Blackwater and other contractors dated Aug. 11th, I posted the story and made several comments HERE, it seems that this story is being recycled to a certain degree, and again I wonder, has Blackwater pissed of the Iraqi government?? This has been a running battle of sorts for quite some time.

Maybe it would be best if Blackwater and other security contractors were not allowed to guard U.S. State Department convoys, maybe it would be best if the U.S. military was given that particular task, along with a somewhat modified set of ROE’s, ones that consist of only one order, bring em ALL back alive and well, by ANY means.

I wonder how al-Maliki would like that little scenario??

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Blackwater License Being Revoked in Iraq