Blackwater killed 14 Iraqis without cause: report

[Tim]

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Early findings by the FBI on a September shootout in Baghdad involving private security firm Blackwater show that at least 14 Iraqis were killed for no reason, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
In all, 17 people were killed when Blackwater private security guards opened fire in a crowded Baghdad neighborhood as they protected a State Department convoy. Blackwater said the guards came under attack.
At least 14 of the shootings broke rules for private security guards in Iraq regarding the use of deadly force, the Times reported, citing unnamed civilian and military officials briefed on the case.
US officials contacted by Agence France-Presse declined to comment for this news story, citing the "ongoing investigation."
"Sorry, but given that this is an ongoing investigation, we are not in a position to comment at this time" said Dean Boyd, a Department of Justice spokesman.
Blackwater has been accused by its detractors of having a cowboy mentality and a shoot first, ask questions later approach when guarding the steady stream of politicians, diplomats and other dignitaries who parade through wartorn Iraq.

source...

Donnie, there are over 500 news agencies reporting on this and Fox News isn't on the list as far as I can see...

This is pretty big news, I wonder why all the major news agencies aren't reporting it.

 

[Tim]

Never mind, I found it on Fox... my bad

FOXNews.com - Report: FBI Says 14 of 17 Blackwater Killings in Baghdad Skirmish Were Unjustified - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum

 

[Boomer]

This world is going to shit.

 

[dt3]

Yeah, I saw that. Blackwater's done over there. Better be, at least.

 

[Tim]

This is what scares the hell out of me....

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]New Orleans - Heavily armed paramilitary mercenaries from the Blackwater private security firm, infamous for their work in Iraq, are openly patrolling the streets of New Orleans. Some of the mercenaries say they have been "deputized" by the Louisiana governor; indeed some are wearing gold Louisiana state law enforcement badges on their chests and Blackwater photo identification cards on their arms. They say they are on contract with the Department of Homeland Security and have been given the authority to use lethal force. Several mercenaries we spoke with said they had served in Iraq on the personal security details of the former head of the US occupation, L. Paul Bremer and the former US ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte.[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] "This is a totally new thing to have guys like us working CONUS (Continental United States)," a heavily armed Blackwater mercenary told us as we stood on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. "We're much better equipped to deal with the situation in Iraq."[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]

When the Government feel comfortable using private contractors to patrol our own streets, that's when I know they lost their fucking minds. If there is ever a natural disaster in my home town, I want to see the National Guard out there keeping me safe. Not some gorilla from Blackwater... fuck that, I'll have to get my high powered scope out of storage.

 

[Boomer]

Say word Tim. Bitches wanna go ta war, we'll go to war.

 

[UncleBacon]

it would be a long bad day anyone comes to my place looking for a gun fight...I have a lot of guns and even more ammo plus it doesn't hurt that I've shot expert with every gun I've ever fired

 

[Boomer]

I have a knife, hatchet and a pair of nutz that drag the ground behind me. I may not get all of'em, but one of'em gonna be veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery sorry.

 

[All Else Failed]

There was talk of blackwater staging a sort of coup. It would never happen. Its logistically impossible.

 

[dt3]

There was talk of blackwater staging a sort of coup. It would never happen. Its logistically impossible.

On our government? Sheeeiiittttt...nobody could pull that off.

I heard a comedian talking about the 2nd Amendment a while back, and how one of the main points of pro-gun people is we need them to overthrow the government if need be. He said something like "That was written when we had muskets and they had muskets. Now we have rifles and pistols, and they have attack helicopters and fighter jets." I laughed

 

[groundpounder]

true dat, delta tango.

<<< 3,700th post

 

[All Else Failed]

On our government? Sheeeiiittttt...nobody could pull that off.

I heard a comedian talking about the 2nd Amendment a while back, and how one of the main points of pro-gun people is we need them to overthrow the government if need be. He said something like "That was written when we had muskets and they had muskets. Now we have rifles and pistols, and they have attack helicopters and fighter jets." I laughed

At this point, unless the entire country rises up and all have weapons (which they don't), the military, national guard and local law enforcement would easily quash any uprising. For it to work, there would have to be a massssssive amount of people.

 

[dt3]

At this point, unless the entire country rises up and all have weapons (which they don't), the military, national guard and local law enforcement would easily quash any uprising. For it to work, there would have to be a massssssive amount of people.

And even then, it'd be awful tough to take down an Apache.

 

[All Else Failed]

And even then, it'd be awful tough to take down an Apache.

Of course. But you know, look at the Vietcong. Whether you believe we were successful or failed in Vietnam, you have to admit they put up one hell of a low-tech fight against the most technologically superior militaries ever at that time.

 

[All Else Failed]

The Afghan fighters against the Soviet army too, in the 80's.

 

[groundpounder]

Thoughts:

But the newspaper said the FBI agents also found no evidence that the convoy was attacked by Iraqis, as Blackwater claims.
"I wouldn't call it a massacre," an unnamed government official told the Times. "But to say it was unwarranted is an understatement."

uhhh, sure

The government of Iraq has said that the shootings were unprovoked, and has called for Blackwater to be barred from operating in the country.

We need to listen to these people - it's their fucking country after all!

The Blackwater guards work for the State Department and fall outside US military jurisdiction. In 2004 then US administrator for Iraq, Paul Bremer, approved a law granting immunity to private security firms operating in the country.
The Blackwater guards involved in the incident also were granted immunity from the State Department for their statements about the controversial shootings, making prosecutions much more difficult.

There's your problem - no accountability.

The Pentagon -- which has opened a separate investigation into the killings -- said in late October it will coordinate the movements of security firms in Iraq going forward.

why does this not give me any comfort??

 

[All Else Failed]

Blackwater is one of I think 100+ private military contractors in iraq right now.

Did you know Blackwater has its own armored division?

 

[COOL_BREEZE2]

I have a knife, hatchet and a pair of nutz that drag the ground behind me. I may not get all of'em, but one of'em gonna be veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery sorry.

LOL Boomz.

I got a pair of nunchucks if that would help. :ninja

 

[COOL_BREEZE2]

At this point, unless the entire country rises up and all have weapons (which they don't), the military, national guard and local law enforcement would easily quash any uprising. For it to work, there would have to be a massssssive amount of people.

......."a massssssive amount of people" on a suicide mission.

 

[dt3]

Blackwater Worldwide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In April 2004, a few days after the Fallujah bridge hanging, a small team of Blackwater employees, along with a fire team of U.S. Marines, held off over 400 insurgents outside the Coalition Provisional Authority headquarters in Al Najaf, Iraq, waiting for U.S. troops to arrive. The headquarters was surrounded and it was the last area in the city that remained in coalition control. During the siege, as supplies and ammunition ran low, a team of Blackwater contractors 70 miles (113 km) away flew to the compound to resupply and bring an injured U.S. Marine back to safety outside of the city.

Wow...a fire team=4 Marines by the way...