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Blackwater: Shoot First, Face Questions Later, Committee Says

October 01, 2007 5:16 PM

Blackwater_ncarolina_main Blackwater USA personnel have injured and killed Iraqi civilians and often fired without provocation, in apparent violation of U.S. laws and government guidelines, according to a memo released Monday by investigators for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

According to Blackwater and State Department reports, Blackwater security personnel in Iraq are the most violence-prone of all military contractors working for the State Department in Iraq, the committee found. The firm's president will face a hearing before the committee Tuesday.

Blackwater, one of three private military contractors working for the State Department, "reports more shooting incidents than the other two contractors combined" between January 2005 and May 2007, the committee said in the memo.

Overall, the firm's soldiers-for-hire, working on contract to the U.S. government, have engaged in at least 195 shooting incidents in Iraq since 2005, the committee said. In 84 percent of such incidents, the committee said, Blackwater personnel fired first. The other firms, Dyncorp and Triple Canopy, reported shooting first in 62 percent and 83 percent of their incidents, respectively.

State Department policy and U.S. law requires contractors to "engage in defensive uses of force" only to prevent "imminent and grave danger" to themselves or others, according to the committee's memo.  But "the vast majority of Blackwater weapons discharges are preemptive," before the company's guards receive any incoming fire, the committee found.

Blackwater did not respond to a request for comment on the memo. A company spokesperson told ABC News on Friday that comparisons between his company and other security contractors were not valid because Blackwater escorts more convoys than other firms and do so in more dangerous areas.

Asked to comment on the memo, a Triple Canopy spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement that "Triple Canopy's mission is to protect lives and property with minimal use of force and the company always operates with this principle in mind."

Veritas Capital, owner of Dyncorp, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The committee said its new findings are based on a review of internal State Department documents and Blackwater records. The panel, chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., is scheduled to hold a hearing on Blackwater's activities in Iraq and Afghanistan Tuesday, Oct. 2. Blackwater president Erik Prince is expected to testify, according to the committee, along with several State Department officials.

Since 2001, Blackwater has received more than $1 billion in contract work for the U.S. government, most of which it was awarded without competitive bidding, according to the committee. Blackwater's record, compiled by its own staff, reflect at least 16 confirmed Iraqi casualties and 162 incidents of damaged property as a result of their employees' actions, the committee found.

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Those figures do not include the Sept. 16 shootout involving Blackwater personnel which left at least 10 Iraqis dead and several wounded. Blackwater said its personnel were fired upon, and they responded in self-defense, but evidence cited by Iraqi police appears to contradict the claim.

Before that clash, which led the Iraqi government to attempt to bar Blackwater from operating in its country, the firm's personnel had been involved in several other violent and even fatal clashes, the committee said.

A State Department e-mail said that in June 2005, Blackwater personnel were involved in shooting an Iraqi man in the chest, then failed to report the incident and tried to cover it up, the committee found. 

In October 2005, a Blackwater employee on a protection mission near Mosul inadvertently shot a bystander while trying to stop an advancing car, the committee's memo details. Blackwater reported the "shooting and probab[le] killing," the committee memo states. Blackwater did not respond to an inquiry regarding these incidents or the fates of the personnel involved.

In another incident which has been previously reported, an allegedly drunk 26-year-old Blackwater employee shot and killed a security guard to the Iraqi vice president on Christmas Eve in 2006.  Blackwater fired the man and flew him home the next day, one of 122 employees who once worked on State Department contract which the firm has fired, according to the committee's statistics.

"As of today, nine months after the shooting, no charges have been brought relating to the killing of the Iraqi Vice President's guard," the committee’s memo states.

At a press briefing Monday afternoon, State Department spokesman Tom Casey declined comment, saying he had not seen the memo.

This post has been updated.

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October 1, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (38)

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"Dystopia"

dys•to•pi•a: n. - A society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding; An imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror; An imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives; an imaginary place where everything is as bad as it possibly can be, or a vision or description of such a place.

We are told that the function of evolution is to perfect the species. Man adapts and mutates constantly, discarding characteristics that hinder his survival, and assimilating those that strengthen it. Given that premise, the human race could evolve into the much-heralded Superman: a living God.

Look around. And think again.

Are we seeing the survival of the fittest? Or could it be the survival of the unfittest? What do you see? The decline of intelligence year after year, accompanied by the radical increase of numbers.

Posted by: boyd | Oct 3, 2007 12:34:23 AM

Black water An American Terrorist Organization. When did we loose our American way. How did we come too this.
oh yeah we voted for, The dumb Emperor Bush.

Posted by: Adeeb N. | Oct 3, 2007 1:04:03 AM

Whether or not one agrees with the story or some of the comments here, it's good to read all of the different perspectives Americans can have on the same topic. This is proof of a true Democratic society in which we can "speak" our mind...hopefully in an intelligent and civilized manner. With that said, it is my opinion that its never a bad thing to have accountability. Blackwater may or may not be guilty of inappropriate use of force, but the fact that they now know that they may be held accountable may ultimately improve their training programs, hiring process, internal oversight, ethics, etc. Accountability, especially where taxpayers' money is involved, is never a bad idea. Accountability forces a person, company, etc. to become more responsible for his/her/its own actions.

Posted by: Joe M | Oct 3, 2007 2:10:48 AM

Listen to the blackwater clown prop up his side of the story while he conveniently forgets that PROPAGANDA is a main element of his sides strategy.

Posted by: daddy | Oct 3, 2007 11:19:34 AM

How do I get a job with Blackwater? Maybe all you people that disagree with the way they do things can go over there and solve this matter by blowing kisses and holding up peace signs. Oh yea how do we as americans enjoy our freedom. Let me think. Hmmm by kicking ass thats how. Just think about blackwater as fire and instead of running towards them -how bout running away from them because it sounds like they will burn your hide.

Posted by: warjunkie | Oct 3, 2007 3:49:37 PM

Gotta admit the fact that a client of theirs in Iraq has never died, in six years. They are amazing, maybe the military should take on their same policies.

Posted by: Brad | Oct 4, 2007 11:43:50 AM

I think its such a joke when I hear someone suggest that our "freedoms" in this country are due to the men and women fighting in Iraq today. What are you talking about?? Iraq had no ability to affect our freedoms. In fact, the only people who take away our freedoms on a regular basis bit by bit are the large corporations and insane amount of money it takes to run for office. You think we're free? We're not as free as you think.

Posted by: Omar | Oct 5, 2007 3:36:50 AM

Don't be too quick to judge these guys, we may need them to cleanup our own legislators some day

Posted by: S. Braden | Oct 5, 2007 7:22:59 PM

Dito Omar, Well said. you spoke the word right out of my mouth, If Iraq was a danger to our country, and our freedom. Then we really have big problems bigger than Iraq much bigger. In this country Freedom comes at a price, and I am talking about $'s, If you have money you have freedom if you do not have money you have slavery.

Posted by: Adeeb N. | Oct 6, 2007 10:33:24 AM

USMCInfantry and Jake: Right on!! The comments appear to be from “bleeding heart” Liberals, who would like to see our troops, Blackwater, and any other US personnel in Iraq blown to pieces. Are they suggesting that the Blackwater personnel who are guarding State Depart and other Administration officials should wait until the enemy blasts them to smithereens before trying to defend themselves? How often have we heard about the al Quada people moving into a group of civilians and then opening fire on US forces? That is a standard tactic; give us a “proper response” to that, Libs!!

Posted by: TheOldTrooper | Oct 8, 2007 3:54:37 PM

I am no Liberal or Damacrat or a Rebublican. I am Me. and I know evil when I see it. and if you ask me Black water looks, feels, smells like a Terrorist Organisation that we sanction, SHAME REAL SHAME on us. And we got the nerv to betray our own contitution and the American way. I bet George, and Benjamin roll in their grave.

Posted by: Adeeb N. | Oct 8, 2007 10:27:04 PM

Throughout the history of warfare, mercenaries have been hired not only to fill out the ranks of an army, but to TERRORIZE the civilian population.

All we hear from the administration is "Support the Troops" but how does turning hired guns loose and paying them many times what a soldier earns, support?

Posted by: shale sloat | Oct 9, 2007 11:51:15 AM

All the whiners in Washington and elsewhere, these people are affiliated to a country USA, they are not mercenaries. They are bound by the rules as dictated by the state department. They cannot just provide services to every country of their choice like other service businesses. The reason all the politicians are going over to Iraq and Afghanistan and coming back in one piece is not because of the US military, its because of companies like Blackwater. Yes they get paid more because they have to manage everything on their own not by being supported by the US military and protect the assests of the companies doing business there.

Posted by: Murali Hatwar | Oct 10, 2007 9:07:03 AM

I spent alot of time in Fayetteville, NC, where the US Army Special Forces are headquartered in Ft. Bragg. I heard from many of the soldiers how crazy and shady in character the Blackwater Guards were in Iraq. Word on the street was some of the Blackwater guards even had criminal backgrounds. Don't know how true that was. Lots of them are the type of guys you'd see playing the bad guys in an action flick with tatoos, beards, shaved heads, etc. They have tons of weapons and lots of funding so they like to play the part.

Posted by: Ryan Creek | Oct 12, 2007 4:52:28 PM

Fabulous example of, guilty til proven innocent. How pathetic people have become, to judge others so quick. Jealousy makes for mean humans, just read how obvious it is in those comments.... sad and so unamerican. Hope someday in your personal futures that those comments don't come back to haunt you and bite you in the...

Posted by: DOIOWEU2 | Oct 15, 2007 6:07:10 PM

At least they are still alive to face questions. If you haven't been involved there don't slam someone for what you haven't experienced.

Posted by: steve quinn | Oct 18, 2007 8:36:27 PM

What do you know...where have you been...what have you done? Most of you have never been behind a gun!

Posted by: Genis | Aug 10, 2008 9:45:59 AM

People who can't understand old Nazi Germany can now appreciate America's new SS. Patriots trust their leader's moral compass no matter how ####.

Posted by: THELAWTODAY | Feb 14, 2009 7:52:47 AM

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