WashPost: Private Guards Repel Attack on US Headquarters

Washington Post ^ | April 6, 2004 | Dana Priest

[mikegi]

An attack by hundreds of Iraqi militia members on the U.S. government's headquarters in Najaf on Sunday was repulsed not by the U.S. military, but by eight commandos from a private security firm, according to sources familiar with the incident.

Before U.S. reinforcements could arrive, the firm, Blackwater Security Consulting, sent in its own helicopters amid an intense firefight to resupply its commandos with ammunition and to ferry out a wounded Marine, the sources said.

[mikegi]

Blackwater guys get a little payback.

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[in the Arena]

ping...

[mikegi]

[Hit send too early]

This shows what happens when our guys aren't caught totally by surprise. Eight of them hold off hundreds of ragheads.

[Feiny]

Excellent.

[in the Arena]

Interesting that Blackwater is using it's own helos...I wonder if this is a recent acquisition after the Fallujah ambush...

[Howlin]

Your post: This shows what happens when our guys aren't caught totally by surprise. Eight of them hold off hundreds of ragheads.


****This also shows what happens when you pi$$ off Americans:

From the Blackwater Security web site at http://blackwatersecurity.com/

April 1, 2004; 8:40 a.m. EST


"We grieve today for the loss of our colleagues and we pray for their families. The names of the victims will not be released out of respect for their families.

"The graphic images of the unprovoked attack and subsequent heinous mistreatment of our friends exhibits the extraordinary conditions under which we voluntarily work to bring freedom and democracy to the Iraqi people.

"Coalition forces and civilian contractors and administrators work side by side every day with the Iraqi people to provide essential goods and services like food, water, electricity and vital security to the Iraqi citizens and coalition members. Our tasks are dangerous and while we feel sadness for our fallen colleagues, we also feel pride and satisfaction that we are making a difference for the people of Iraq.

A Memorial Fund has been established to support the victim's families of the March 31, 2004 Fallujah attack. All memorial gifts will be documented and appropriately acknowledged with due regard to the wishes of the donor and the nature of the contribution. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims

Please Mail the contributions to:
Memorial Fund
PO Box 159
Moyock, NC 27958

Please Make checks Payable to:
Memorial Fund

Please no cash contributions.

[dts32041]

This is a Federal facility, how come the FPS (Federal Protective Service) was not there, oh yeah they are union and Blackwater isn't.

About using ex seals, damn somebody in the FEDGOV has gotten smart, to much talent floating around out in the civilian world to go to was just cause the retired.

[GeronL]

I hope they got a few extra

[ExpatCanuck]

An attack by hundreds of Iraqi militia members ...

So now they are militia members? Kind of like freedom fighters, or Iraqi patriots, right?

One wonders where the real enemies are sometimes.

[Squantos]

Ahhh professionalism !............:o)

Stay Safe !

[vaudine]

"one wonders where the real enemies are"---Reuters, AP, CNN, ABC, NBC, etc. for strters.

vaudine

[Spruce]

Glorious! Payback indeed!

[archy]

Interesting that Blackwater is using it's own helos...I wonder if this is a recent acquisition after the Fallujah ambush...

No. They've had an Aviation and air assets division at their training center for quite some time, since their inception or nearly so.

[lowbridge]

An attack by hundreds of Iraqi militia members on the U.S. government's headquarters in Najaf on Sunday was repulsed not by the U.S. military, but by eight commandos from a private security firm

Now thats private enterprise at work!

[lowbridge]

Good news.......

[dennisw]

Damn mercs!!!! :)

[88keys]

One wonders where the real enemies are sometimes."

Anybody catch the latest "talking points"? I was shocked by the first C-Span "Washington Journal" caller, and totally disgusted and appalled by a second one, asserting we should "waste no sympathy" on these Blackwater Security employees, since they were simply "mercenaries and soldier-of-fortune" types.

There are "soldiers of fortune" out there, but nothing would lead me to believe that the private-sector ex-soldiers murdered in Fallujah would have sold their services to the highest bidder regardless of the mission they would undertake.

Am I right or wrong about the "civilian contractors"? They were murdered either way, but the attempt to characterize them as "mercenaries" for political purposes (which the C-Span callers were clearly organized to do) is egregious in the extreme.

[in the Arena]

Damn!!! How did I miss that...

http://www.blackwaterusa.com/aviation/news.html

Three new helocopters added to the Blacwater Aviation family. These "little birds" are headed to the sandbox!!!

[BurbankKarl]