Blackwater guards will 'face charges'

[K.Ingraham]

Blackwater guards 'face charges'

Five employees of the US security firm Blackwater face charges over the 2007 shooting of 17 Iraqis, reports say.

Contracted to defend US diplomats, the firm says its guards acted in self-defence when they opened fire after being ambushed by Baghdad insurgents.

The deaths strained US-Iraqi relations and an Iraqi inquiry concluded the shooting was unprovoked.

The men are expected to surrender to authorities on Monday, when sealed documents are likely to be publicised.

While the exact charges remain unclear, the US justice department has been considering manslaughter and assault charges against the guards for weeks.

The New York Times has previously reported that an FBI investigation had concluded that 14 of the deaths at the busy Baghdad intersection on 16 September 2007 were unjustified.

Young children were among the victims.

New guidelines

Iraqi government spokesman Ali Dabbagh welcomed news of the charges, telling the Associated Press news agency that Baghdad welcomed any attempt to "hold the criminals accountable for their crime".

A sixth Blackwater employee is negotiating a plea deal in return for testifying against his colleagues, AP reported, adding that the indicted men are decorated military veterans.

American law is unclear on whether contractors can be charged in the US or anywhere else for crimes committed overseas.

In October 2007 the Iraqi government approved a draft law revoking the immunity from prosecution that private security contractors enjoyed under Iraqi law.

The US has since put in place new guidelines for security contractors.

Based at a vast ranch complex in North Carolina, Blackwater is one of the main private providers of security within Iraq, and its contract there was extended in April.

Story from BBC NEWS:

Published: 2008/12/06 19:08:38 GMT
(accessed 7Dec08)

[NupeRanger]

This is truly sad. The same country that these brave young men swore to protect, now wants to persecute (not prosecute) them for doing their job.

The worse part of the charges is the "machine gun" charge. If that is the case, then they can charge every single civilian contractor with the same charge. It is total BS. I hope the witch hunt stops here.

Additionally, I hope the coward that turned on his buddies gets what's coming to him. There should have been six defendants, not five. However, one of them chose to sell out his buddies to save himself.

Anyway, I hope that it works out for these brave young veterans.

RLTW,

[Silverback]

This is truly sad. The same country that these brave young men swore to protect, now wants to persecute (not prosecute) them for doing their job.

The worse part of the charges is the "machine gun" charge. If that is the case, then they can charge every single civilian contractor with the same charge. It is total BS. I hope the witch hunt stops here.

Additionally, I hope the coward that turned on his buddies gets what's coming to him. There should have been six defendants, not five. However, one of them chose to sell out his buddies to save himself.

Anyway, I hope that it works out for these brave young veterans.

RLTW,

My thought is that a day in court would benefit everyone involved

[Silverback]

Indictment Clicky

[NupeRanger]

My thought is that a day in court would benefit everyone involved

I guess I just hate that it has to come down to this. I mean "over there" you can question every single shot that goes down range. This is a case of politics plane and simple.

Personally, I question the ability to receive a "fair" trial with all of the biased media attention. It is in effect punishing the Bush Administration and Blackwater, through these young men.

I wasn't there on that day. I am confident that the media got the story wrong. Of course civilians will say that the "infidel" American's attacked them unprovoked. It is a case that happens all the time. Similar to when we take out a target in his home and his family is among the casualties.

I guess what frustrates me the most is that people here in the States want to apply classical ROE to a fight that is Guerrilla in nature. The enemy attacks and then blends in with the population. There are no enemy uniforms to determine who is friend and who is foe. It is just sad that we as a country continue to punish those that fight for us.

I personally know a lot of good men that have been in a similar situation (PSD). If they feel threatened, then they have a right to self defense. I love the way the so-called investigation focused on the civilians point of view. Most of them hate us as it is. Then the ones that don't saw it as a chance to cash-in.

This situation is as big (politically) as the Abu Graib incident. There is no way that they will find these young soldiers/marines innocent. Especially with the environment of political "change". Whether you believe it or not, politics do affect our criminal justice system. In essence, we have an unpopular war, with a rich, greedy, crooked, murdering, evil corporation at the center of what is going to sell a lot of news papers.

It just really sucks for the individuals getting put smack dab in the middle of it all. I am sure that if I was a part of that security team, I would have also laid down suppressive fire and been defending my actions to a jury of (non) peers (whom have never seen any military action, or even been shot at).

I guess I am just venting my frustrations here. Nothing personal. This is just my "I hate the media, and "do-gooder" civilians" rant. They judge what we do, but continually ask us to go do it . . .

I'm done. I feel better now . . .

[42L5V]

I ran a military PSD (for a two-star) during my year over there. I sure wouldn't want a Monday morning QB on any of our skirmishes. That job is friggin' hard enough.

[Silverback]

I sincerely hope that these men are found to have acted accordingly and lawfully. I feel that although we are at war we are still a nation governed by the rule of law and that should encompass every facet of our lives and be our national identity.

Combat in Iraq is confusing and complicated, but as professionals we have to demonstrate the tools, values and integrity to do the right thing with little or no thought. I don't pretend to be an expert of anything, but I do present the credentials of every unit I have served in combat with as proof that good men and good leaders will make morally sound decisions regardless of the circumstances they face. As warriors we should never be held "above the law".

Rules of Engagement (ROE) keep being mentioned as a problem, but at issue here is escalation of force (EOF) procedures, as warriors we need to communicate clearly using the lexicon of warriors.

[Silverback]

Here's a link to their biographical sketches: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... AD94URPLO1