This was just an accident waiting to happen. Anybody who knows about mercenaries will tell you how to disappear when the ceiling falls. The moment our government found it fit to be protected by mercenaries, they opened a can of worms. These are security companies today but they were mercenaries up to the day the US invaded Iraq. Please people do not think these are different people. They were the same being used to assassinate/overthrow African leaders and then turned legit when they saw the potential to make billions of dollars. If you want to know the tip of the story and why US mercenaries are hated in Iraq, see "Shadow Campany" a documentary shot in Iraq by one of their own with very telling stories by mercenaries. Today, if you wanted a mercenary, you would find him in Iraq where the invasion has created the wild wild west as they will tell you. If you have a gun, can travel. These are the real winners of the war. They can kill and not be persecuted. Meanwhile an American soldier get to be persecuted.

This really upsets me! Iraq is a WAR ZONE!
Our people (Americans) are under attack daily whether with the Military or contract work! I am highly offended as the wife of a soldier that our men and women are being charged with crimes when doing their jobs under fire! This kind of reporting is unacceptable to me! This kind of reporting leads me to believe Blackwater and our military are GUILTY before there is proof. I am sick to death of all of the Iraqis! To me there are no innocent civilians there when you cannot distinquish between them and terrorists!

I hoped our soldiers would turn on the blackwaters and take them out. Perhaps now the soldiers can counter the guilt of civilian slaughters by showing us the evidence of contractor death squads instead of get blamed for them all.

Is Iraq a War Zone or not? The terrorists know that every time they can bring charges against our forces it makes them win another propaganda battle in the media. The way the libs are acting, we should be prosecuting the crew of the Enola Gay. I say give the Blackwater Forces the Medal of Honor and let's fight to win this war.

It's always the Americans' fault. The Iraqis are not violent, it's our imagination. These people risk their lives every day. They deserve medals.

Those Blackwater guys are a shady lot. When I was in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, Blackwater was magically there on Bourbon St. These guys were fully armed, and holed up in some hotels that were in pretty good shape. What ticked me off was that as we rolled by (I was Army)these guys were holding their rifles at low -ready!They might as well have been aiming them at us.

It is bad for America when we have to hire private Armies (Or security) to protect government officials in Iraq. We are setting a precedent for the future where we are going to rely more and more on private armies financed by our government to carry out security, missions and other related matters abroad. It is not right that a company such as Blackwater has a $800 million dollar contract. That money should be used for recruitment and our existing military personnel over there. There is always a possibility that in twenty to thirty years down the road, a private army/security company such as Blackwater could pose a threat to the United States internally as its power grows. The Colonial Army relied on hired Hessian soldiers to help it during the American Revolution. We've come along way over the past 231 years to have to hire out again. I'm sure Eisenhower would be shaking his head in disbelief if he was still around today.

One incient caused by Blackwater undoes all the work done by US soldiers, often paid for with their blood.

The relatives of the eight killed are honour boun by their code of honour to seek revenge. It won't be Blackwater employees paying the ultimate price it will be your ordinary incredibly brave Soldier paid a fraction of Blackwater employees.

Kate Williams - My husband and several of our friends are currently deployed and Iraq (second deployment, too) and they absolutely HATE the contractors. My husband tells me that these guys are total cowboys who stir up trouble and resentment wherever they go - often they start fights that legitmate coalition forces (Read: the USMC) are called in to finish. Fallujah is probably the most famous example. Moreover, many of these "contractors" are NOT Americans, but professional mercenaries from all over the world, including Russians, Ukranians, South Africans, Israelis and all kinds of other foreign nationals. What's worse is that these mercenaries are paid by the U.S. government and pull down more money than the average American soldier. Meanwhile our guys have to beg, borrow and steal armor for their vehicles and supply their own body armor (at least my hubby's unit did). I mean, what the hell? Why are we outsourcing our military to a bunch of mercenaries and wasting our tax dollars to make them rich when all they do is mess things up for our guys? It's sick!

Isn't Blackwater a terrorist organisation?
By definition of a terrorist they are.
So what is the difference?

Bill - that's a really stupid comment. Don't let your rabid hatred of liberals blind you to the fact that we've outsourced our military to bunch of foreign mercenaries who are accountable to nobody (and don't be fooled, just because blackwater is based in the States, doesn't mean it's soldiers are all Americans!).

Kate Williams, you seem to be the one jumping to a conclusion here. If they were fired upon, they have a right to fire back, if not then they didn't. Neither you nor I know what happened. Let the investigation take its course.

And by the way, if there are "no innocent civilians" as you say, who are we "liberating" the country for? Please think before you speak.

The American people are completely in the dark about this (for-profit) war. I am a fairly intelligent college graduate and I knew nothing about blackwater until a week ago. Our government is all about lies and deception and the rest of the world is aware of this.The problem is that a few multi-billionarres are running our country into the ground and the ordinary person is helpless(our votes certainly don't count).!!!!

This is yet more proof that immediate withdrawal from Iraq is needed on the spot. The fact that we have to use 'Rent-a-Rambo's' is proof that we have failed and that Bush's policy is bankrupt. It is also proof that the Iraqi's don't need us there or want us there if they can be a policeman one minute or a civilian one minute, then an insurgent the next and turn our own weapons against us. We have created the conditions for this mess, and it is now beyond repair. There will be a bloody turf-war-street-fight to the death until some stongman wins. Our charade of an ally government (a weak, despised puppet goverment)is just that. Now, even the puppet government wants our Rambo's out..and the populace wants our soldiers out...let the warlords fight it out...time for us to go...Bush's predictions of disaster IF we pull out are ludicrous...it is already a disaster. Time to go. Congress better just keep sending timetable legislation through and let Bush keep vetoing it and just let the money run out. Our soldiers won't be left there defenseless, they'll be put on a plane back home...call Bush's bluff...timetable, timetable, timetable...no need to wait for Republicans to join to override vetoes...Do it now.

Kate - Blackwater is NOT our military. Many of their "operators" are actually foreign mercenaries who actually make things harder for our troops. Please don't confuse the two. Also, Blackwater gets paid a ton of money while our soldiers have to buy thier own body armor!

As someone that has been a contractor over there and seen the quality work the Dyncorps and Blackwaters do I'm sure all this is blown WAY out of proportion. If I am to hazard a guess the Iraqi govt is looking to shake down high viz folks with lots and lots of money. It truely is the middle eastern way. Please let it be noted no American officials were hurt or killed in this attack. Blackwater did their job and earned their money and kept Americans safe.

Kate Williams:

"I am sick to death of all of the Iraqis! To me there are no innocent civilians there when you cannot distinquish between them and terrorists!"

I'm not sure it would be possible for Americans to dehumanize Iraqis any further. Hate to share this with you, but many INNOCENT Iraqis have lost fathers, mothers, grandparents, brothers, sisters and cousins because of this war and the above-the-law mercenary contractors operating there. Not that Americans like you, Kate, seem to care.

A "mercenary" fights for governments OTHER THAN THEIR OWN; Blackwater employs the best of former U.S. military and law enforcement personnel. I believe they deserve our support for performing duties that the Iraqis obiously can't or won't perform, and that our military is not intended to carry-out. Blackwater employs American heroes, NOT mercenaries, and I hope to see them back in the war-zone soon.

You people are sad. my husband works for the company and they are NOT mercenaries whatsoever. Get your facts straight before you accuse. You couldn't do half of what they do if you tried.

Yet another MSM drive-by assault, presenting ONLY info relevant to and consistent with to their predetermined "narrative", never cynical regarding the enemy, ALWAYS cynical with respect to their own countrymen, government and soldiers.

And you left-wingers are always the first to be manipulated by Al Queda, Iran, Syria and the rest of their terrorist/gangster allies. Civilians my foot! Just another eight dead terrorists, weapons removed by their brethren so their dead bodies can be used to manipulate useful liberal idiots.

I have friends who work over there both with Security Companies, and as UN security.

All of them agree that by and large, the private security companies (read mercenaries) have a reputation as cowboys with very little regard of non-American lives. Yes, I know that sounds very racist, but that is how it is.

Apparently, if you do your job and protect American lives, that somehow justifies shooting Iraqi civilians... even if all you have is a vague 'suspicion' that they are armed.

It is unacceptable and needs to stop. If they were fighting for their own country, on their own soil fine. But they're on foreign soil, ostensibly helping 'liberate' Iraq and shooting the people in the name of your own security just isn't on! If its that bad, that you need to kill civilian in order to stay alive and do your job, maybe your in the wrong place, trying to do a job that you shouldn't be doing.

Angela is right. I know I couldn't do half what the Blackwater thugs do, such as bully Iraqi women, shoot unarmed civilians, and the like. Did you ever wonder why the Fallujans desecrated the Blackwater bodies but not American soldiers' bodies? Pure rage, we must suppose.

An issue that should be addressed is that fact that supposedly it's safe for an American (albeit with 100's of troops protecting them) to walk around Baghdad. If that is so, why do State convoys need Mercenaries for protection? If Baghdad is so safe, why do those mercenaries fire on any vehicle that approaches their convoy? If Baghdad is so dangerous that security guards fire on any vehicle approaching their convoy, then the surge has failed to improve security in any way. Let's get out now! Innocent people will still be getting killed in Iraq but we're not preventing that now and at least we won't be doing it!

It seems very few people in this country are even able to put themselves in another person's place. If we reversed places with the Iraqis how many of you would be saying the ridiculous things I have read here. Prejudiced, small minded, halfwits seem to be the majority in the US.

Maliki better watch his back. Erik Prince and Blackwater are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney's Christian boys in charge of the Rapture. First they are bringing the Rapture to Iraq, then Blackwater will bring it here.

These Blackwater guys are clowns, everyone thinks they are high speed ex-SF operators....or used to be in Delta..the truth is most of them are untrained, couldnt cut it in real units, E-4's and E-5's that got out, or got kicked out....look at the guys that died from Blackwater previously, former nevada nasty guard mp....hmmm bet he was a high speed guy that read soldier of fortune magazine every month. They are not Soldiers, the give a bad name for everyone over here who has done there job...find them guilty and get them out of this country....we dont need them here and the iraqi's dont want them.......

A) VOTE FOR RON PAUL A REAL AMERICAN
Eliminate The IRS
B) DEPLETED URANIUM ALERT.
C) HOW TO IMPEACH A PRESIDENT
D) Veteran''s and Family Members exposed to DU
E) Here is who controls America Learn What you never were supposed too about the bankers: Secrets of The Federal Reserve: It is a Corporation! Like Greenspan said awhile ago "He who controls the Gold is he who makes the rules! See who owns the gold ;)
F) EVERYTHING including the truth about 9/11

Of course Blackwater is never investigated. Just as Halliburton continues to rip off the taxpayers. This entire war is to benefit the cronies of the Cheney/Bush administration. These private people get paid better and have better equipment than our own troops. So much for supporting the troops. Yet America is still stupid as to the lies of the government

Well, it won't be long before the insurgents start taking out these "contract insurgents"

Another case of lost American values,,. Paid mercenaries with total immunity against the law and prosecution protecting American diplomates of the Bush adminastation. Hundreds of civilians killed and the people pulling the trigger disappear into the night with the blessing of George W Bush. And people wonder why the rest of the world has a dim view of Americans?

In Iraq, civilians and insurgents look identical. Not only do they look identical, but in many cases, they are identical.

If Blackwater is fired upon, they should return fire, under those conditions, and whoever gets hurt, gets hurt.

It is up to the Iraquis to restore order, and to round up the insurgents, if they want to protect civilians. Until then, if fired upon, all US personnel, military or private, should be authorized to return fire, against any and all comers, military, or "civilian", as there are no uniforms being worn by insurgents.

If Blackwater, as alleged, also supplied weapons to Iraqi insurgency groups, guess what? That means US tax dollars are supporting TREASON against US soldiers.
THAT is the main thing that needs investigated!

KRB subsidiery of Halliburton gets it's contacting firm 6.3 Billion of the 180,000 "contractors" there. Blackwater only gets 1.3 Was it million or billion I forgot anyway they are paid less than Halliburton's contractors considerably.
War Profiteering. Simple enough a ten year old gets it.

Some of these comments leave the impression that Blackwater is the only security company over there. Last I heard there were a few hundred independent companies in play consisting of people from many nationalities. Erinys, Triple Canopy, Aegis, CACI, Custer Battles,etc. I read recently that the base I was stationed at now has Ugandans now guarding base facilities that Marines oversaw when I was deployed. Instead of paying inflated salaries why not pay for more military recruits or more advanced training?

At least Marines and soldiers are accountable for their actions under the UCMJ. These contractors dodge legal repercussions on the loophole that Paul Bremer wrote into law stating that contractors weren't subject to Iraqi law, upon handing over sovereignty in June 2004. Does anyone remember what happened to those Erinys employees who were shooting at cars in that video on YouTube? Do you think they're serving time for that alongside those Marines who are in trouble for the shootings in Haditha where those Marines killed civilians in revenge for members of their squad being killed by insurgents?

The fact that the State Department is so secretive on this and other issues begs the question as to what they're hiding. Given the politically sensitive nature of this you would think they would try to get the facts out and put this issue to rest. But their dodgy response telling Blackwater not to cooperate with Congress.

I hope to see the Iraqis take the initiative on this and stand up for themselves. Maybe al Maliki will get some credibility and this political reconciliation can begin.

If you cannot tell the differnce between civilians and insurgents that implies the insurgents are no longer carrying (or at least using) their weapons. If that is the case why are the "returing fire" surely there is no reason to?

Frankly I think that a lot of the American mostly right wing population need to learn a bit of respect for human life. Even those who are of a different race. Xenophobia is not a good trait for a country with such a vast army.

I think part of the argument for contracting people from other countries is also to do with the question of how many more willing volounteers to sign up are there left in the USA?