Blackwater: Banned in Iraq? (Updated Yet Again) By Sharon Weinberger EmailSeptember 17, 2007 | 4:11:00 PMCategories: Mercs After a car bomb sparked a deadly shooting in Baghdad, the Iraqi government announced it would ban uber-merc outfit private security contractor Blackwater from operating in Iraq, according to a news report:
Carbomb Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karim Khalaf said eight civilians were killed and 13 were wounded when contractors believed to be 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.
The spokesman said witness reports pointed to Blackwater involvement but said the shooting was still under investigation. It was not immediately clear if the measure against Blackwater was intended to be temporary or permanent.
It's a move clearly meant to boost popular support for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, but it's not clear what exactly are the ramifications of the license revocation, or how that will affect Blackwater's security contract with the State Department.
The embassy also refused to answer any questions on Blackwater's status or legal issues, saying it was seeking clarification on the issue as part of the investigation, which was being carried out by the State Department's diplomatic security service and law enforcement officials working with the Iraqi government and the U.S. military.
It'll be interesting to see what happens, but I doubt Blackwater will be packing its bags right away.
Update #1: Is there even a license to revoke? Buzz on the contractor street is that it isn't clear how this development will affect Blackwater. Allegedly, Blackwater doesn't have a "license" to revoke, and its contracts with the State Department and CIA may not be immediately affected. This could play out in an interesting (albeit depressing) powerplay between the al-Maliki, Iraq's Ministry of Interior, and the U.S. Government.
Update #2: According to the website of the Private Security Company Association of Iraq, Blackwater USA has started -- but not yet completed -- the process of registering with the Iraq's Ministry of the Interior. On a related note, it caught my eye that DynCorp hasn't started the process yet, according to the website.
Update #3: Time got a copy of the incident report.
According to the incident report, the skirmish occurred at 12:08 p.m. on Sunday when, "the motorcade was engaged with small arms fire from several locations" as it moved through a neighborhood of west Baghdad. "The team returned fire to several identified targets" before leaving the area. One vehicle engine was hit and disabled by bullets and had to be towed away. A separate convoy arriving to help was "blocked/surrounded by several Iraqi police and Iraqi national guard vehicles and armed personnel," the report says. Then an American helicopter hovered over the traffic circle, as the U.S. convoy departed without casualties. Some reports have said the helicopter also opened fire on Iraqis, but a Blackwater official told TIME that no shots were fired from the air.
Some eyewitnesses said the fighting began after an explosion detonated near the U.S. convoy, but the incident report does not reflect that.
Update #4: Eric Umansky smells something fishy.