Monday, September 17, 2007

Iraq government expels Blackwater

After an incident where Blackwater operatives sprayed a Baghdad street with automatic fire killing eleven people, including one policeman, and wounding 13, the Iraq government has revoked the secretive private mercenary army's license to operate in the country and ordered them to leave. The shooters may even face charges, although some commentators claim they have complete immunity.

There was some doubt whether the order was still in effect, or that the Iraq government would even be allowed to expel Blackwater, after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to personally apologize for the incident.

Blackwater currently run all security for western officials and most visitors to the country. They are widely despised by Iraqis as arrogant and violent mercenaries. They've also been used domestically, notably in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Their tactics have led to controversy before as in this video.

``They're famous for being very aggressive. They use their machine guns like car horns. But it's not the goal to kill people.''said Robert Young Pelton, an independent military analyst and author of the book ``Licensed to Kill.''

No comments:

Popular Posts