Posted on 09/17/2007 4:34:26 AM PDT by decimon
BAGHDAD - The Interior Ministry said Monday that it was pulling the license of an American security firm allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of civilians during an attack on a U.S. State Department motorcade in Baghdad.
The ministry said it would prosecute any foreign contractors found to have used excessive force in the Sunday incident.
Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karim Khalaf said eight people were killed and 13 were wounded when security contractors 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.
Blackwater, based in North Carolina, provides security for many U.S. civilian operations in the country. Phone messages left early Monday at Blackwater's office in North Carolina and with a company spokeswoman were not immediately returned.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman said witness reports pointed to Blackwater involvement but said the incident was still under investigation. It was not immediately clear if the measure against Blackwater was intended to be temporary or permanent.
U.S. troops are immune from prosecution in Iraq under the U.N. resolution that authorizes their presence, but Khalaf said the exemption does not apply to private security companies.
The U.S. Embassy said a State Department motorcade came under small-arms fire that disabled one of the vehicles, which had to be towed from the scene near Nisoor Square in the Mansour district.
An embassy official provided no information about Iraqi casualties but said no State Department personnel were wounded or killed. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.
He said the shooting was being investigated by the State Department's diplomatic security service, and law enforcement officials working with the Iraqi government and the U.S. military.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki late Sunday condemned the shooting by a "foreign security company" and called it a "crime."
Tens of thousands of private security contractors operate in Iraq — some with automatic weapons, body armor, helicopters and bulletproof vehicles.
The contractors, including many Americans and Britons, provide protection for Westerners and dignitaries in Iraq as the country has plummeted toward anarchy and civil war.
Many have been accused of indiscriminately firing at American and Iraqi troops, and of shooting to death an unknown number of Iraqi citizens who got too close to their heavily armed convoys, but none has faced charges or prosecution.
Iraqi police said the contractors were in a convoy of six sport utility vehicles and left the scene after the shooting. A witness said the gunfire broke out following an explosion.
"We saw a convoy of SUVs passing in the street nearby. 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," said Hussein Abdul-Abbas, who owns a mobile phone store in the area.
The wartime numbers of private guards are unprecedented — as are their duties, many of which have traditionally been done by soldiers. They protect U.S. military operations and have guarded high-ranking officials including Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Baghdad.
They also protect journalists, visiting foreign officials and thousands of construction projects.
Two points: 1) Doing it for years doesn't make it right. 2) I was naive once, but 26 years of military service wore that out.
My comment in #3 was rhetorical but badly written.
What I meant is that Maliki can complain all he likes about regrettable (and alleged, not proven) civilian casualities. But he is the Iraqi authority who presides over Baghdad’s chaotic and deadly security environment, and IMO it’s his fault and that of the Iraqi people that Blackwater (or any other PMC/PSC) must be used to protect the lives of consular officers on a 20 car minute car trip inside the city.
And so my also-rhetorial suggestion was to do away with the PMCs/PSCs and hire them all as DoD contract personnel. DoD would be happy to take the contract money, JSOC (or whatever) might benefit from experienced (and now well-paid) personnel, and Maliki could claim victory in ousting PMCs from Iraq.
Finally, CENTCOM might finally be forced to reconsider its insane rules-of-engagement.
Muslims being killed by Muslims is accepted. Muslims being killed by infidels is unacceptable to them
My **only** complaint about using PMCs in Iraq is that their mere presence offers your average conspiratorial, delusional, reality-challenged Arab politician with the opportunity to indulge in even more conspiracy theories and to distract from the overwhelming reality of Muslim-on-Muslim murder, mayhem, torture, discrimination, and violence.
Yes, that works for me.
IMO, this is just an extortion play by high level Iraqi officials. As soon as Blackwater makes a cash injection into secret bank accounts they’ll be back on their feet.
If I’m reading it right, Blackwater doesn’t pay taxes on it’s workers, because of how they classify them (i.e. contractor vs. employee).
Even though they’re doing the exact same thing as Triple Canopy, they don’t pay any taxes.
So they always have the low bid on a government contract, while not paying taxes to the government on the money.,
It’s a loophole that, IMO, should be closed.
If it’s an American company awarded an American government contract, why are they allowed to be tax free, simply because of how they word their workers?
Two things: 1) The dipwads at the DoD should have had this worked out before now. 2) Tax-wise, it should be a wash as the taxes not paid by Blackwater should be paid by its contractors.
they pay taxes. It depends on how long they are deployed overseas.
What they do is not uncommon throughout the business world.
Instead of hiring employees and paying benefits and matching payroll taxes, they hire Independent Contractors who are supposed to be responsible for their own taxes and benefits, as well as tools and equipment.
In construction its the difference between hiring painters/drywallers/etc yourself and keeping them on payroll or subbing it out sometimes to IC tradesmen.
Yes, it certainly can get abused, but done properly it has legit uses and benefits to all.
The difference between ‘Contractor’ and ‘Employee’ sounds like the difference between ‘Security Agent’ and ‘Mercenary’
Exactly. This is a baksheesh call if I ever saw one. And, at the same time, boob bait for Iraqi bubbas. The local average joes think the goverment’s being tough on the big bad American contractors, while the bureaucrats get an extra payday.
Because that's the way it should be - for all of us. Gotta start somewhere.
Could be.
The IRS has a short list of points on IC vs Employee and the burden of proof is on the employer.
Done properly it works out well for all, as in the IT consultant that works for a fee or rate but is not an employee.
Done improperly you get employers who don’t pay taxes or insurance and end up screwing over the guys they hire.
*Some* security contractors have left their guys holding the bag when things go wrong because they don’t *owe* the same allegiance to ICs that they would to employees.
>>Of course this begs the question why Blackwater et al are needed to protect U.S. State Dept. convoys, as this incident clearly demonstrates.
Fine, replace them with official U.S. military ops teams, train them to do force protection and force protection only, pay them the private contractor rate, and see the results change. Maybe, maybe not.<<
If you believe the CNN “expert” the U.S. has about 180,000 mercenaries in Iraq and that not one has ever been charged with anything... The implication is that the mercs can do things that troops are not allowed to do.
Not totally inaccurate.
I’m not an expert on all this, but I trust the source of what I’m being told.
In the end, Triple Canopy will prosper from Blackwater’s demise.
But it doesn’t change the fact that a loophole exists.
Which is why it won't happen.
Which is it? Do they pay taxes,or do they come home every 6 months and avoid being taxed?
From what I’m being told, the system is being taken advantage of, with Blackwater getting preferential treatment.
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