shevaub
09-21-2007, 12:40 PM
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/09/21/blackwater/
Blackwater has provided protection for U.S. diplomats in the war-torn country, and the United States has insisted that it relies on private contractors to protect its civilians there.
But a deadly shooting incident on Sunday prompted the Iraqi government to bar the firm from operating. For now, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is prohibiting staff trips by land outside the Green Zone.
An embassy official told CNN that reports that the company's operations had resumed Friday outside the Green Zone were probably true.
Sunday's shooting has created tension between the U.S. and Iraqi governments. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed regret about the incident in a phone call to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and promised an open and
The Iraqi government has said as many as 20 civilians were killed by gunfire from Blackwater USA contractors who were guarding a U.S. diplomatic convoy. Iraqi officials dispute the U.S. claim that the guards were responding to an attack.
The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday the creation of a joint commission to examine issues of security and safety in the aftermath of the shooting incident.
The commission -- being co-chaired by an American and an Iraqi with equal representation from both countries -- will receive the results of both the State Department investigation and the separate Iraqi investigation, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said.
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Casey said the commission will look at both the Sunday incident and the broader issue of "personal security details" and the use of private contractors to provide security in Iraq.
The commission "is not an investigative body doing field forensics on this particular matter," Casey said. "The focus of this is to look not only at that incident but at the broader question ... and help us come up with joint recommendations."
Blackwater has provided protection for U.S. diplomats in the war-torn country, and the United States has insisted that it relies on private contractors to protect its civilians there.
But a deadly shooting incident on Sunday prompted the Iraqi government to bar the firm from operating. For now, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is prohibiting staff trips by land outside the Green Zone.
An embassy official told CNN that reports that the company's operations had resumed Friday outside the Green Zone were probably true.
Sunday's shooting has created tension between the U.S. and Iraqi governments. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed regret about the incident in a phone call to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and promised an open and
The Iraqi government has said as many as 20 civilians were killed by gunfire from Blackwater USA contractors who were guarding a U.S. diplomatic convoy. Iraqi officials dispute the U.S. claim that the guards were responding to an attack.
The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday the creation of a joint commission to examine issues of security and safety in the aftermath of the shooting incident.
The commission -- being co-chaired by an American and an Iraqi with equal representation from both countries -- will receive the results of both the State Department investigation and the separate Iraqi investigation, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said.
advertisement
Casey said the commission will look at both the Sunday incident and the broader issue of "personal security details" and the use of private contractors to provide security in Iraq.
The commission "is not an investigative body doing field forensics on this particular matter," Casey said. "The focus of this is to look not only at that incident but at the broader question ... and help us come up with joint recommendations."