Posted on 09/20/2007 8:02:58 AM PDT by MNJohnnie
BAGHDAD, Sept 20 (Reuters) - U.S. security firm Blackwater remains in Iraq under a State Department contract while a joint commission investigates a shooting incident in Baghdad on Sunday that left 11 Iraqis dead, the U.S. embassy said on Thursday.
Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said the personnel involved in the incident would not leave Iraq before the investigation yielded results.
"(Blackwater) are still here and still under contract from the State Department," she said. "Since they support chief personnel movement and we are not moving, there is no activity from Blackwater at the moment."
Nantongo said the joint Iraqi-U.S. commission would consist of eight members on each side. The U.S. mission's charge d'affairs would head the U.S. side whilst Iraq's defence minister would head the Iraqi side.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Wednesday that the embassy could use another security firm for protection and vowed not to allow Iraqis to be killed again in "cold blood".
The United States has barred diplomats from leaving central Baghdad's "Green Zone" by road. The heavily protected area houses the U.S. embassy as well as many Iraqi ministries and senior officials who are largely protected from the violence in other parts of the Iraqi capital.
This story makes no sense. I suspect the Iraqi Interior Minister tobe part of an attempt to overthrow the Iraqi government and the Blackwater boys stopped one of their attempts to kill US representatives.
Oi...
It is not that deep.
Maliki obeys the shiites and to a lesser extent, the Iranians.
They want Blackwater out because Blackwater is just too good at what they do. As a result, they try to sieze an opportunity to get rid of them.
Not that deep.
The more you look at the episode to trigger this event...the more of a staged event it becomes. I’m guessing that some elements of the government wanted Blackwater out...because of lack of payoffs, and to begin to pick off US diplomatic personnel. There is no real competition there after Blackwater...unless you want to bring some Russian ex-special forces in...who will anyone who they think poses a threat and be twice as likely as Blackwater to shoot. Giving more of a reason to circle a date on the calendar to give the Iraqis a strong hint of when you intend to leave.
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