Blackwater license in Iraq revoked

[Geggy]

Blackwater License Being Pulled in Iraq
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 17, 2007
Filed at 9:55 a.m. ET

BAGHDAD (AP) -- The Iraqi government said Monday that it was revoking the license of an American security firm accused of involvement in the deaths of eight civilians in a firefight that followed a car bomb explosion near a State Department motorcade.

The Interior Ministry said it would prosecute any foreign contractors found to have used excessive force in the Sunday shooting. It was latest accusation against the U.S.-contracted firms that operate with little or no supervision and are widely disliked by Iraqis who resent their speeding motorcades and forceful behavior.

FULL ARTICLE (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Iraq.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin)

[mburbank]

Hmmm.

This should be an interesting story.

The Iraqi interior ministry has revoked Blackwaters liscence.

But the US State Department as of right now is still saying that they have not heard from the government of Iraq, and they intend to conduct an investigation.

So. Does the interior ministry have the authority to throw Blackwater out? Do they speak for the Government? What does the Prime minister have to say?

What will we do if the Iraqi govt. demands Blackwater leave Iraq? Can we function without them?

My guess, is if we can't force Maliki to let Blackwater stay, we'll say they've left, but they'll actually all be deputized to the CIA, or immediately hired by a dummy subsidiary, or transferred en maase to one of the other private security ventures over their, like Whackenhut.

But this is a real test of how sovereign Iraqs government actually is.

[Preechr]

I vote dummy subsidiary... or something like that

[Geggy]

update

US Military Official: Blackwater "May Be Worse Than Abu Ghraib"

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/63604/

Lawmaker says Rice interfered with Iraq inquiry

[- (javascript:sizeDown();)] Text (javascript:resetCurrentsize();) [+ (javascript:sizeUp();)]
By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - A leading Democratic lawmaker on Tuesday accused Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of interfering in congressional inquiries into corruption in Iraq's government and the activities of U.S. security firm Blackwater.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN2542752620070925

[Geggy]

U.S.-IRAQ: Pentagon Gives Blackwater New Contract
By Ali Gharib

WASHINGTON, Sep 28 (IPS) - A U.S.-based private security firm received a contract worth up to 92 million dollars from the Department of Defence amid hard questions about its involvement in two separate violent incidents in Iraq.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39458

hahaha... wtf...

[KevinTheOmnivore]

ha ha yeah

[DeadKennedys]

Private contractors like this are destroying our country from the inside out.

With no training, they get our soldiers killed.
With no legal responsibility, they commit crimes that go relatively unpunished and make us look bad.
With their terrible business practices, they waste money and put that burden on us and our children.

Fuck 'em.