Blackwater License Revoked over Civilian Deaths

Speaking of Privatization…

Blackwater License Being Revoked in Iraq (From AP Report)

Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karim Khalaf said eight civilians were killed and 13 were wounded when contractors believed to be working for Blackwater USA opened fire in a predominantly Sunni neighborhood of western Baghdad.

“We have canceled the license of Blackwater and prevented them from working all over Iraqi territory. We will also refer those involved to Iraqi judicial authorities,”

Khalaf said. The spokesman said witness reports pointed to Blackwater involvement but said the shooting was still under investigation. It was not immediately clear if the measure against Blackwater was intended to be temporary or permanent.

Blackwater, based in Moyock, N.C., provides security for many U.S. civilian operations in the country. The secretive company, run by a former Navy SEAL, has an estimated 1,000 employees in Iraq and at least $800 million in government contracts. It is one of the most high-profile security firms in Iraq, with its fleet of “Little Bird” helicopters and armed door gunners swarming Baghdad and beyond.

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Blackwater became a little better known after journalist Jeremy Scahill published his book “Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army” this year. The book was much discussed on National Public Radio and reviewed online.

From Rod Liddle’s review:

Blackwater is a private company that does the dirty work for America in various wars, both covert and those we know about all too well. It began only 10 years ago as a sort of cheerful paintball and shooting range in the Great Dismal Swamp of North Carolina, but these days it has some 20,000 mercenaries on its books (the “whores of war”), not to mention a whole bunch of quasi-military aircraft, a military base, lots and lots of guns and connections with precisely the right people.

I doubt this will change any US Government contracts, but I hope it may help shed some more light on the actions of private security contractors operating in Iraq.  When a private contractor kills an Iraqi civilian, it is the US soldiers who will bear the brunt of any retaliation.