Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Iraq punishes US firm over 'random' killings


Employees of a US security firm face prosecution in Iraq after a Baghdad shooting in which 11 people were killed.

Iraq has withdrawn the licence of Blackwater, one of the biggest foreign security contractors in Iraq.

An Iraq Interior Ministry spokesman said guards working for Blackwater opened fire when mortar rounds landed near their convoy in west Baghdad's Mansour district yesterday.

"By chance the company was passing by. They opened fire randomly at citizens," Brigadier-General Abdul-Karim Mr Khalaf said. Eleven people were killed, including one policeman, and 13 people were wounded, he said. Continue here

3 comments:

Unknown said...

and that would be the reason why contracting companies to do the fighting for the american government is a terrible idea.

katie said...

sounds like the firms are out of control... just like everything else going on in Iraq.

Unknown said...

ya and if anyone hasn't heard yet, the Iraqi government issued its official statement wednesday i believe which said that blackwater was not fired upon first, but actually shot at a car which didn't stop to let their convoy by, killing the driver, his wife, and their baby. thats what happens when you give ppl total immunity to both Iraqi and American laws. the U.S. has yet to release an official statement on this issue, but as of right now we are still using them, even after the Iraqi government asked us to terminate their contract.