A number of findings from this AP story are quite informative. It makes you realize what is really going on, in terms of the occupying power relying on mercenaries, in terms of the supposed sovereign government having actual authority on its territory and in terms of what effect mercenaries - and Blackwater in particular - have on the prospect of a peaceful outcome and attitudes of the Iraqi population towards the West, and especially the U.S.
Movement by land by U.S. diplomats and other civilian officials outside the Green Zone was suspended as a result of the Blackwater shooting as the article states. So we learn that the entire American civilian branch in Iraq is dependent on Blackwater, a private company. Who made this decision?
Of course the accounts vary but Iraq's Ministry of Interior's preliminary finding is that "Blackwater security guards fired at a car when it did not heed a policeman's call to stop, killing a couple and their infant." Let me get back to this last claim later.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the Sunday shooting was "the seventh of its kind" involving Blackwater "and these violations should be dealt with."
So I assume in none of the prior cases anything has been done to hold Blackwater accountable.
Hairdresser Suhad Mirza, who witnessed the shooting, said she heard a "remote explosion sound, then, after about 15 minutes ... sounds of sirens used by police vehicles and heavy gunfire."
"I saw four-wheel drive vehicles opening fire randomly on people and other civilian cars in the street," Mirza said. "After five minutes of that, police and hospital ambulances reached to area to evacuate casualties."
Other accounts claim that there was no bomb and no hostile fire prompting the massacre.
Blackwater's official statement says that armed enemies started firing first and Blackwater personnel returned defensive fire. Blackwater further claims they only protected human life. They have no shame. The infant was probably a suicide bomber, eh?
On Monday, The Interior Ministry proclaimed it had revoked Blackwater's license and all Blackwater people had to leave the country. Now the official line is that Blackwater's operations are just suspended until a U.S.-Iraqi investigation has been completed. And what do you think prompted this backtracking?
There reportedly are 1,000 Blackwater employees in the country. So the State Department is unable to operate without 1000 goons? Things must be very bad then if you can't even muster 1000 Marines.
"Blackwater has a reputation. If you want over-over-the-top, gun-toting security with high profile and all the bells and whistles, Blackwater are the people you are going to go with," said James Sammons, a former Australian Special Air Service commander who now works for British-based AKE Group that also provides security in Iraq.
Sounds like something Dick Cheney would be thrilled to see. But imagine how Iraqis will perceive these guys. Worse than any militia, they act like they own the place. They're outsiders and if they get in trouble they can easily call on the U.S. military and order up some airstrikes or such. Best of all, if they screw up and kill some civilians, there's no consequences.
The Iraqi Cabinet decided Tuesday to review the status of all foreign security companies...
Nevertheless, some Iraqi officials said privately it would be difficult to order Blackwater out of the country because the Americans rely so heavily on the company for their security.
Whose country is this again?
The article then informs us that in 2004 a regulation written by the U.S. occupation authority gave security contractors full immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law. Under Iraqi law? If that seems like an oxymoron, of course we know that the law was written by the occupiers. The civilian contractors are also not subject to U.S. military law. How come this has never been changed in all these years?
No foreign contractors accused of killing Iraqi citizens have ever been charged or prosecuted according to the article.
Yeah, so there you have have it. It's been going on since the very beginning, unpunished, but nobody bothered to do anything about it. I am sure it's no different in Afghanistan, either. Amazing.
*Edited to remove some quotes to comply with fair use terms.
**Edited again because of still excessive use of direct quotes from the story.