Iraqis Say Blackwater Killed 17

There has been much made of the Blackwater killings that there has not been much reported about the Genesis of the over reaction and unprovoked attacks by Blackwater on civilians. The root of this over-reaction and murder of civilians can surely be traced to the killings of Blackwater employees in 2004, and the desire to NOT let that type of occurrence happen again. I am not defending Blackwater employees, as I believe this is pre-meditated killing, but I can see from their past interactions with iraqi "civilians" how they could be put in the position of over-reacting to anything that they assumed was threatening to them.


On March 31, 2004, four men working for Blackwater USA as security guards, Scott Helvenston, Wesley Batalona, Jerry Zovko and Michael Teague, were ambushed by insurgents in Fallujah. They were killed, their bodies burned and mutilated, and two were strung up on a bridge over the Euphrates. The insurgents made their own video of the attack, broadcasting the images around the world. Almost overnight, the issue of private contractors in Iraq was put on the map. The Marines in charge of the area didn't know the Blackwater team would be traveling that day into the dangerous city of Fallujah, but four days later they were ordered to invade the city and find the killers; this was not the original plan they had had for quelling the insurgency in the area.

The Blackwater mission was to provide security for trucks belonging to a food caterer, ESS. The empty trucks were being sent to pick up kitchen equipment from the 82nd Airborne. But the Blackwater men were uneasy. One team member, former Army Ranger Wes Batalona, complained to a friend that the team had never worked together before. And contractually, Blackwater was to supply two SUVs with three guards per vehicle. Instead, the men set out that morning with just two men per car, each short a rear gunner.

After the killings, concerns mounted about the regulation and accountability of private security companies. In a case that is being closely watched by contractors, the families of the men filed wrongful death lawsuits against Blackwater in January 2005. The suits charge Blackwater "knowingly and intentionally" sent the men out "without the needed and promised protections" such as equipment, personnel and maps.

But in a privatized war,it's hard to determine who can be held responsible; disentangling the chain of contracts behind the mission is difficult and has so far obscured any final accountability. Blackwater denies responsibility for the contractors' deaths and says it doesn't know who directed the March 31st mission. Blackwater was contracted through a Kuwaiti company, Regency, to a Cypriot company, ESS, the food caterer. This is the Genesis of the kill anything that "seems" threatening attitude. It is truly a "Get them, before they get you" mentality that is governing the actions of current Blackwater employees.


Which brings us back to today where an official Iraqi investigation into a deadly shooting involving Blackwater USA security guards raised the number of Iraqis killed to 17 and found the gunfire was unwarranted, the government said Sunday. It also said the shootings amounted to a deliberate crime and recommended those involved face trial. The Blackwater guards are accused of opening fire on Iraqi civilians in a main square in Baghdad on Sept. 16. They claimed they came under fire first. The Iraqi investigative committee, which was ordered by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, found that convoys from the Moyock, N.C.-based security company did not come under direct or indirect fire before the men shot up the intersection. "It was not hit even by a stone," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement.

The FBI will investigate security contractor Blackwater USA over the Sept. 16 shootings in Baghdad that killed at least 11 Iraqi civilians. "The results of the investigation will be reviewed for possible criminal liability and referred to the appropriate legal authority," said Special Agent Richard Kolko. A report prepared by the majority staff of the House Oversight Committee says Blackwater has been involved in 195 shooting incidents since 2005, or roughly 1.4 per week. The overwhelming majority, 162, involved property damage, while there were 16 Iraqi casualties. In 84% of the "escalation of force" incidents, Blackwater guards fired the first shots. The Georgia North Carolina's company's contract with the State Department stipulates that it use defensive force only. "In the vast majority of instances in which Blackwater fired shots, Blackwater is firing from a moving vehicle and does not remain at the scene to determine if the shots resulted in casualties," according to the report. Tomorrow the Oversight Committee holds a hearing to look into how private security contractors are used in Iraq and Afghanistan.

There is going to be some answers in this case and if you have the time please go to the full report, which is very interesting! May the Iraqi civilians who were murdered receive justice, and may the murderers at Blackwater be held accountable.


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full report