Blackwater security firm banned from Iraq

reply to post by makeitso


Well, CNN seems to make it pretty clear to me...

The ministry said the incident began around midday, when a convoy of sport utility vehicles came under fire from unidentified gunmen in the square.

The men in the SUVs, described by witnesses as Westerners, returned fire, and the witnesses said the vehicles are that Western security firms use.

A witness told The Associated Press that he heard an explosion before the gunfire began.

"We saw a convoy of SUVs passing in the street nearby," Hussein Abdul-Abbas, owner of a mobile phone store in the area, told the AP. "One minute later, we heard the sound of a bomb explosion followed by gunfire that lasted for 20 minutes between gunmen and the convoy people who were foreigners and dressed in civilian clothes. Everybody in the street started to flee immediately."
www.cnn.com...

Looks like they were ambushed to me, I don't really have an opinion about Blackwater, but if I were attacked, I would shoot back too. Don't blame them at all, what else would anybody expect them to do?

Or they gonna come back in the US to enforce martial law... you decide. But seriously this kind of BS such as the Order 17 should be illegal under international law, this is SO WRONG. They can torture, make war crimes, anything you can imagine and they will not be prosecuted... disgusting.

reply to post by Hal9000

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

Ah, your right, sorry. It says U.S. Diplomatic convoy.

US diplomatic convoy was involved in a shootout
www.albawaba.com...

Another site calls it:

A US Department of State motorcade
afp.google.com...

I wonder who was in that U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Convoy/motorcade? Diplomats maybe?

It also bothers me that the locals do not condemn the insurgents or that they are never held accountable.

Agreed.


On another note, some reports say that Blackwater does not have a license to operate in Iraq. If thats true, how is Iraq gonna revoke a non-existant license?

According to reports I've read, they have a contract with the State Department to provide security for State Department employees, not a License to operate in Iraq.

*shrugs* Dunno.

[edit on 9/17/07 by makeitso]

reply to post by makeitso

It looks like it was a State Department motorcade, so I'll give you that one. I just didn't see it in the first two articles.

reply to post by Hal9000


No worries mate, None of the articles actually come out and specify that there were diplomats in the vehicles.

Besides, everyone knows buckeyes don't research anything.
Thats why I.U. kicked your Akron Zippy's butts this weekend, (even though I.U. is arguably the worst team ever). (j/k)

reply to post by Dr Love


You are right, that is why I said that Haliburton owns Iraq, as long as Hiliburton and the corporate profiteers are in Iraq they call the shots no the Iraqi government.

reply to post by astmonster


You need to understand that the insurgency in Iraq are civilian Iraqis fighting the corporate take over of their resources that are taking the chances of the Iraqis to become productive while, Iraqis are jobless while Haliburton bring cheap slave labor from around the world..

As an Iraqi I will be fighting too, over 4 million Iraqis either death or on exile, that Is some kind of liberation.

reply to post by pai mei


I agree, in order for the present administration and its corporate profiteers been able to finish their agendas they need the insurgency alive and Al-qaida responsible.

So hey lets fuel the insurgency and give them some help.



[edit on 17-9-2007 by marg6043]

reply to post by Hal9000


I wonder also who blackwatrer was protecting, Diplomats convoy what diplomats, Haliburton profiteers?.

reply to post by Dr Love


Yes they have plenty to keep busy but remember how easily they were among the national guard when the Katrina disaster.
reply to post by makeitso


I still can not read on the link who the diplomats were. To me sounds like profiteers of war from one of Haliburton subsidiaries or even Haliburton Itself.

So hey Iraq is been riped apart by Haliburton so Iraqis have the right to fight the profiteers out of their country.

What is more valuable an American Haliburton diplomat or the life of an Iraqi in their own land?

reply to post by makeitso

You know even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.

And please, don't ever confuse a Buckeye with a Roo.

Ohio State U are the Buckeyes and they kick butt.

Here is how the "Iraqi Resistance" is playing it.

a convoy of foreign mercenaries working for the US occupation forces massacred nine Iraqi civilians in western Baghdad midday Sunday.

~ an Iraqi Resistance sharpshooter opened fire on the convoy as it was passing through an-Nusur Square in western Baghdad at noon Sunday.

The mercenary "security guards" who work under contract for American occupation forces responded to the attack by unleashing intense gunfire around the area, killing nine local civilians and wounding another 15. The victims were taken to nearby al-Yarmuk Hospital for treatment after the massacre.

Almost sounds like somebody from here wrote their copy for them.

*edit* - Stupid me. Forgot link.
uruknet.info...


[edit on 9/17/07 by makeitso]

reply to post by Hal9000


OOO.

I gotta give you that one.

Sorry, my bad.

I'm sorry but I highly doubt that BlackWater is being brought back to the US for "house cleaning". There are way too many places for them to be if they are kicked out of Iraq. It seems that there has been a lot of paranoid fear-mongering lately and it's starting to get old.

Yes, BlackWater does go about their business with impunity, but you have to remember that they are giant targets just as much as the troops are. Chances are that as they were passing through this area, they were attacked and returned with force. They're in a war zone, this sort of stuff happens. It's not good, but that's one of the things about war. And nowadays, with how fast information is passed along, these sort of events create a mass hysteria before all the information is provided.

-Droops

I'm going to do you all a favor. I worked for BW, if you have legitmate questions I'll answer them for you, however I'm not going to respond to anything retarted.

I haven't read all the posts yet, but I'll put this out right off the bat - ANYONE traveling in a DOS (Dept. of State) motorcade is going to be protected by the "contractors" running that motorcade.

You won't get to know who was in that motorcade as that information isn't released. It wasn't when i was there and we were attacked so I don't expect it to change for this incident.

The motorcade was ambushed by insurgents (the media calls them civilians beacause "insurgents" "terrorists" or whatever don't wear a uniform so they aren't leagally able to be called "soldiers" because they don't wear a uniform and also beacause they don't follow the rules of war. The only thing they can be called is civilians or terrorists, since the media has to prove they are terrorists before they can call them that they are called civilians.

sorry about the spelling - just wanted to get this out.

reply to post by DrOOpieS

I was also thinking that this stuff does happen in a war zone and this hasn't been the first time BW was involved with a fire fight and this certainly isn't the first time innocent people have died in Iraq.

I just wonder what makes this incident so special that they loose their license? (Not that I don't think BW is in the wrong)

I don't think we are hearing the whole story.

Originally posted by patriot13
however I'm not going to respond to anything retarted.

Can you please clarify what you consider "retarded"? Because if you say what I think you're gonna say, then you can consider me like that dude from Sling Blade.

"Mmmm hmmmm......I likes me some french fried taters!

Peace

reply to post by patriot13


OK, I'll bite.

Does BW have a "license" to operate in Iraq? 'Cuz I read that they don't have or need one, but I don't know.

This should be shocking news to some of you, but, escorting diplomats means.. they were escorting diplomats. Sorry to ruin that one for you but..

I will give you a very brief overview-

someone from the embassy (lets say the Americans working to restore the power, the power plants etc etc) need to go check on the progress at a powerplant. they can't go unprotected right? so they say they want an escort - that info goes downt the pipeline and (eliminating boring details here) a team is assigned.

the team picks them up and takes them there, protects them while they are working (checking that the money they got was used to buy what they said it was for, looks at the repairs that were made, whatever) and then takes them back.

the contractors have roe's (rules of engagement) they have to foloow just like every single member of the US military. Also we work hand in hand with the US military, not at odds with.

I can give you a little more detail, but thats an overview. Just like you got to work and have tasks assigned to you, so do we. ( hey Joe- you hear were going to XX in the morning...)

reply to post by Dr Love


Ask me a question - if I don't answer within 24 hours...

reply to post by makeitso


That's way above my pay grade, I'll try to find out what the "liscense" process or "certification" is. might not be for a few days though.

I know that individuals can be declared "persona non grata" - but thats a luxury every country has when you break their rules or act a fool and get in trouble. I would imagine they can do the same thing with a company, corporation, llc whatever, again - ill look into that aspect.

Originally posted by patriot13
Ask me a question - if I don't answer within 24 hours...

OK, does working at Ace Hardware in high school qualify me for any kind of Blackwater security detail or any counter-counter insurgent unlawful whacking out?

*sets 24 hour timer on watch* --- OK go!

Peace

reply to post by patriot13

Maybe you can answer my previous question.

Why did BW loose their license because of this incident? This is not the first time innocent civilians have died in Iraq.

Was it the number of casualties? Or could there be more to the story?