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Blackwater Mercs Indicted In Baghdad Atrocity

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  • Blackwater Mercs Indicted In Baghdad Atrocity

    BLACKWATER MERCS INDICTED IN BAGHDAD ATROCITY

    World War 4 Report
    Dec 9 2008
    NY

    Here's a case study in what Iraq's besieged secular left calls the "two
    poles of terrorism." The news reports now are not recalling it, but we
    noted at the time of the attacks last year that the victims in this
    atrocity were Armenian Christians--and Iraq's indigenous Christians
    have also been massively targeted for "sectarian cleansing" by the
    jihadis (or, to use the too-flattering media term, "insurgents"). From
    the Washington Post, Dec. 6:

    WASHINGTON -- Five Blackwater Worldwide security guards have been
    charged in a September 2007 shooting that left 17 Iraqi civilians
    dead and raised questions about the U.S. government's use of security
    contractors in combat zones, according to two sources familiar with
    the case.

    The guards, all former U.S. military personnel, worked as
    security contractors for the State Department, assigned to protect
    U.S. diplomats and other non-military officials in Iraq.

    Federal prosecutors obtained the indictment Thursday, and it was
    sealed.

    Channing Phillips, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in
    the District of Columbia, declined to comment. The exact nature of
    the charges could not be determined. The five security guards are
    expected to surrender to authorities on Monday, the sources said.

    Authorities have not publicly identified the guards.

    The indictment caps a yearlong probe into the Sept. 16, 2007, shooting
    as the guards' convoy arrived in Baghdad's Nisoor Square.

    An Iraqi government investigation concluded that the security
    contractors opened fire without provocation. And the U.S. military
    and initial findings by the FBI found Blackwater guards were the only
    ones who fired weapons that day. Blackwater has said its guards were
    fired on and acted in self-defense.

    A federal grand jury in Washington has heard testimony from dozens
    of witnesses, including some Iraqis, the sources said.

    Blackwater is not a target of the investigation but has been paying the
    guards' legal bills, sources said. Anne Tyrrell, a company spokeswoman,
    said "it would be inappropriate to comment on anything under seal."

    But she added: "Based on the information available to us, however,
    we do not believe criminal violations occurred."

    "If it is determined that an individual acted improperly," she said,
    "Blackwater would support holding that person accountable."
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