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October 5, 2007

Report: US Military Finds Blackwater at Fault in Baghdad Shooting
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=19BFD2F:5F753BCA39991A3BE96751405BFD13C49574F7DCC14957C0
 The Washington
Post says military reports from scene of September 16 shooting show
guards with Blackwater USA opened fire without provocation and used
excessive force against Iraqi citizens A published report says the
U.S. military has determined guards working for a private U.S.
security firm in Iraq took excessive action in last month's deadly
shooting in Baghdad.

An Iraqi traffic policeman inspects a car destroyed four days ago by a
Blackwater security detail in al-Nisoor Square in Baghdad, 20 Sep
2007The Washington Post says military reports from the scene of the
September 16 shooting show guards with Blackwater USA opened fire
without provocation and used excessive force against Iraqi citizens.
At least 11 Iraqi civilians were killed when the guards opened fire
while protecting a U.S. diplomatic convoy in Baghdad.

A senior U.S. military official - speaking to the newspaper on the
condition of anonymity - said Blackwater guards appeared to have fired
grenade launchers, in addition to using machine guns.

Earlier this week, the head of Blackwater USA, Erik Prince, defended
his employees' actions, saying they were purely defensive.

An official Iraqi investigation into the shooting also found
Blackwater guards fired without provocation.

The FBI has dispatched an investigative team to Baghdad to look into
the incident at the capital's Nisoor Square.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a measure that
would hold Blackwater and other private security firms working for the
U.S. government overseas accountable for any criminal actions. The
measure would update a current law that subjects private contractors
who support U.S. military operations to criminal prosecution in
federal courts.

The Bush administration says the measure would place "unwarranted
burdens" on the military because they would have to support criminal
probes in war zones.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.


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