BAGHDAD, Sept. 18, 2007
Iraq Orders Blackwater USA Contractors Out
Move Sparks Surge In State Department Diplomacy; U.S. Restricts Land Travel Outside Green Zone
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A private U.S. security officer with his face covered against dust, sits in a Chinook helicopter as he accompanys Iraq's U.S. civilian administrator L. Paul Bremer on a visit to southern Iraq in this Thursday, Sept 18, 2003 file photo. The Iraqi Interior Ministry said Monday Sept. 17, 2007 that it was pulling the license of an American security firm allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of civilians during an attack on a U.S. State Department motorcade in Baghdad. (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)
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Blackwater USA employees receive instruction along a make-shift street scene before practicing a vehicle ambush response drill, in this Feb. 20, 2004, file photo, on Blackwater's land near Moyock, N.C. Blackwater has been linked by Iraqi officials to the deaths of eight Iraqi civilians in Baghdad. (AP Photo/Karen Tam)
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The wreckage of a vehicle in which Sheik Abdul Sattar Abu Risha died earlier this week in Ramadi. The most prominent figure in a revolt of Sunni sheiks against al Qaeda in Iraq was killed Thursday in the explosion in Anbar province. (AP)
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Play CBS Video Video Iraq Bans Private Security Co.
Blackwater, a private security company in Iraq, was banned by the Iraqi government after a firefight in which eight Iraqi civilians died. David Martin reports.
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Interactive Battle For Iraq The government, the insurgency, key players, background and photos.
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Special Report The Road Ahead Katie Couric reports from Iraq on the future of U.S. involvement there.
Many Iraqis, who have long viewed security contractors as mercenaries, dismissed Blackwater's contention that its guards were attacked by armed insurgents and returned fire only to protect State Department personnel.
"We see the security firms ... doing whatever they want in the streets. They beat citizens and scorn them," Baghdad resident Halim Mashkoor told AP Television News. "If such a thing happened in America or Britain, would the American president or American citizens accept it?"
Blackwater is among three private security firms employed by the State Department to protect employees in Iraq, and expelling it would create huge problems for U.S. government operations in this country.
In a notice sent to Americans in Iraq, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said it had taken the step to review the security of its personnel and possible increased threats to those leaving the Green Zone while accompanied by such security details.
"In light of a serious security incident involving a U.S. embassy protective detail in the Mansour District of Baghdad, the embassy has suspended official U.S. government civilian ground movements outside the International Zone (IZ) and throughout Iraq," the notice said.
"This suspension is in effect in order to assess mission security and procedures, as well as a possible increased threat to personnel traveling with security details outside the International Zone," said the notice, a copy of which was provided to The Associated Press by the State Department in Washington.
The two other firms, both of which are headquartered in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, are Dyncorp, based in Falls Church, Va., and Triple Canopy, based in Herndon, Va. Neither has the resources of Blackwater, which includes a fleet of helicopters that provide added security for State Department personnel traveling through Baghdad's dangerous streets.
In London, Crocker told reporters that "an investigation of that incident is under way and it would be premature to comment until the investigation is finished."
Unlike many deaths blamed on foreign contractors, Sunday's shootings took place in a crowded area in downtown Baghdad with dozens of witnesses. Even so, details of the incident remain unclear.
Blackwater says State Department personnel came under attack from insurgents and that its guards returned fire. Iraqi police say a car bomb exploded near a State Department convoy and that Blackwater guards opened fire. Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, who announced the Blackwater ban, said 11 people were killed.
The incident drew attention to one of the controversial American practices of the war - the use of heavily armed private security contractors who Iraqis complain operate beyond the control of U.S. military and Iraqi law.
In other developments:
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Add a Comment See all 439 Comments
- Why are they being called "contractors"? Aren''t they mercenaries? Does the truth hurt so much?
- Reply to this comment
- Posted by Larrs08 at 09:10 PM : Sep 18, 2007
Laughed so hard im dizzy ... i thought it was really lars at first ... oh my, need to catch my breath ... - Reply to this comment
- the war is legal, demonic-rat hero al bore says so%u2026
Posted by lars008 at 09:13 PM : Sep 18, 2007
When stealing US TAX DOLLARS to buy HATRED, TERRORISM and 9/11 against AMERICANS can be legal, anything can be legal.
CHRISTIANITY is PSYCHOSIS and CHRISTIANS are PSYCHOTICS.
This world was much better with PSYCHOTIC CHRISTIANS playing THE FATHER, THE SON and THE HOLY SPIRIT in the CHURCHES "(The holy, god-loving, conservative, republican-supporter, christian man is "THE FATHER", that young, innocent, little boy whose pant is pulled down in the name of god is "THE SON", and what is inserted in the "BACK HOLE" of that boy in the name of "JESUS" is the "HOLY SPIRIT") then to come into US POLITICS and SODOMIZE UNITED STATES.
lars,
I don''''''''t mind if your god made MARY pregnant with JESUS, I will never allow your god to come into US POLITICS, SCREW UNITED STATES (like PSYCHOTIC CHRSITIANS CRAIG and FOLEY were trying to do with the AMERICAN BOYS) and make United States pregnant with HATRED, TERRORISM and 9/11.
lars,
If you believe in HEAVEN, when you die, don''t forget to keep KY Jelly with you. You will have to face god loving christian men believing in THE FATHER, THE SON and THE HOLY SPIRIT. - Reply to this comment
- "Also under scrutiny is whether Blackwater USA, the private security firm banned this week from working in Iraq for the alleged killing of eight Iraqi civilians, was "illegally smuggling weapons into Iraq," according to a letter to IG Howard J. Krongard that was obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press."
Here we were told it was Iran doing the smuggling.
And. . . this only one of the investigations that is being directed toward IG Howard J. Krongard in Iraq. - Reply to this comment
- the war is legal, demonic-rat hero al bore says so%u2026
Posted by lars008 at 09:13 PM : Sep 18, 2007
When stealing US TAX DOLLARS to buy HATRED, TERRORISM and 9/11 against AMERICANS can be legal, anything can be legal.
CHRISTIANITY is PSYCHOSIS and CHRISTIANS are PSYCHOTICS.
This world was much better with PSYCHOTIC CHRISTIANS playing THE FATHER, THE SON and THE HOLY SPIRIT in the CHURCHES "(The holy, god-loving, conservative, republican-supporter, christian man is "THE FATHER", that young, innocent, little boy whose pant is pulled down in the name of god is "THE SON", and what is inserted in the "BACK HOLE" of that boy in the name of "JESUS" is the "HOLY SPIRIT") then to come into US POLITICS and SODOMIZE UNITED STATES.
lars,
I don''''t mind if your god made MARY pregnant with JESUS, I will never allow your god to come into US POLITICS, SCREW UNITED STATES (like PSYCHOTIC CHRSITIANS CRAIG and FOLEY were trying to do with the AMERICAN BOYS) and make United States pregnant with HATRED, TERRORISM and 9/11. - Reply to this comment
- the war is legal, demonic-rat hero al bore says so%u2026
Posted by lars008 at 09:13 PM : Sep 18, 2007
When stealing US TAX DOLLARS to buy HATRED, TERRORISM and 9/11 against AMERICANS can be legal, anything can be legal.
CHRISTIANITY is PSYCHOSIS and CHRISTIANS are PSYCHOTICS.
This world was much better with PSYCHOTIC CHRISTIANS playing THE FATHER, THE SON and THE HOLY SPIRIT in the CHURCHES then to come into US POLITICS and SODOMIZE UNITED STATES.
lars,
I don''t mind if your god made MARY pregnant with JESUS, I will never allow your god to come into US POLITICS, SCREW UNITED STATES (like PSYCHOTIC CHRSITIANS CRAIG and FOLEY were trying to do with the AMERICAN BOYS) and make United States pregnant with HATER, TERRORISM and 9/11. - Reply to this comment
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G) http://thetruth07.110mb.com (Skull & Bones) - Reply to this comment
- FALSE PROPHET MUD-HAM-MAD ALI BABA & LITTLE GIRLS!
The guy you are talking about is not alive any more and he never lived in USA, whereas; those PSYCHOTIC CHRISTIANS who believe in "THE FATHER", "THE SON" and "THE HOLY SPIRIT" "(The holy, god-loving, conservative, republican-supporter, christian man is "THE FATHER", that young, innocent, little boy whose pant is pulled down in the name of god is "THE SON", and what is inserted in the "BACK HOLE" of that boy in the name of "JESUS" is the "HOLY SPIRIT")
are alive and living in United States like;
the FASCIST NAZI TERROR CHRISTIAN JOHN DAVID ROY ATCHISON who was flying from FL to MI to screw a 5 years old girl since JESUS died for his sin?
FASCIST NAZI TERROR CHRISTIAN "CRAIG" who was trying to play THE FATHER, THE SON and THE HOLY SPIRIT in the bathroom of MINNESOTA?
FASCIST NAZI TERROR CHRISTIAN "FOLEY" who was trying to play THE FATHER, THE SON and THE HOLY SPIRIT on internet, and the list goes on and on and on. - Reply to this comment
- Posted by walt1944 at 09:11 PM : Sep 18, 2007
the war is legal, demonic-rat hero al bore says so%u2026
the resumption of hostilities was only a matter of time since iraq broke the ceasefire agreement.....
blame saddam for iraq%u2026%u2026. Even clintoon and the dems wanted the resumption of hostilities back in 1998
"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
"Iraq''s search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
Moreover, no international law can prevent the United States from taking actions to protect its vital interests, when it is manifestly clear that there is a choice to be made between law and survival. I believe, however, that such a choice is not presented in the case of Iraq. Indeed, should we decide to proceed, that action can be justified within the framework of international law rather than outside it. In fact, though a new UN resolution may be helpful in building international consensus, the existing resolutions from 1991 are sufficient from a legal standpoint. - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/gore/gore092302sp.htm - Reply to this comment
- For once, the Iraqis got something right, ordering the Emperor Bush and VP Darth Cheney "brown shirts" out of Iraq. I wonder of the estimated 1 million Iraqi civilians killed in Emperor Bush''s war, how much of that body count belongs to Blackwater.
Now if only someone here had the guts enough to throw Bush''s "storm troopers" out of this country, maybe exiled them to Antartica along with the Emperor, VP Darth Cheney, and the rest of the right-wing neocon crowd in Washington.
And if that ever happens, please, force them to take "Bagdad John" McCain with them!
SIG HEIL BUSH!!! - Reply to this comment
- i love how those bush christians from the south claim the moral high ground.
all those murderous, war making, uneducated southern mercenary snakes.
you all know the south never does good for america.
always starting wars, making trouble.
the south has a dark and sordid past.
bush is just the latest snake to come out of the south.
rednecks, white trash, christian creeps, republican snakes, war, hate, death and destruction...
oh well, that''''s the south for you, folks! - Reply to this comment
Hi..I''''m Lars
I like to cut and paste.
I''''m a member of the fighting 101st keyboard brigade. I wage jihad on all jihadies that jihad against Bush''''s global jihad. Some say I am too cowardly to actually fight the war that I support. Some say that I''''m not intelligent enough to do engage in an honest debate. But I cut and paste on the keyboard day after day so that others can fight and die instead of me.- Reply to this comment
- Posted by patriotic9 at 09:06 PM : Sep 18, 2007
the war that fascist nazi terrorislamic muslims started rages on 1400 years later...
The Truth about Islamic Crusades and Imperialism
Historical facts say that Islam has been imperialistic%u2014and would still like to be, if only for religious reasons. Many Muslim clerics, scholars, and activists, for example, would like to impose Islamic law around the world. Historical facts say that Islam, including Muhammad, launched their own Crusades against Christianity long before the European Crusades.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2005/11/the_truth_about_islamic_crusad.html
http://www.americanthinker.com/2004/08/the_muslim_crusades.html
the truth about fascist nazi terrorislam...
http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened/ - Reply to this comment
- Posted by patriotic9 at 08:58 PM : Sep 18, 2007
FALSE PROPHET MUD-HAM-MAD ALI BABA & LITTLE GIRLS!
http://www.stripcreator.com/comics/funguyaaa/328869
http://www.420megs.com/users/undressing-islam/pedophile-moe.htm
The thought of an old man becoming aroused by a child is one of the most disturbing thoughts that makes us cringe as it reminds us of pedophilia and the most despicable people. It is difficult to accept that the Holy Prophet married Aisha when she was 6-years-old and consummated his marriage with her when she was 9. He was then, 54 years old.
http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina/ayesha.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20060115-21472500-bc-iraq-mutaa.xml
http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=978.
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD106005
http://www.henryk-broder.de/tagebuch/karikaturisten.html - Reply to this comment
- arab land is arabia,,, go there now,,, and non muslims will let you live,,,
Posted by lars008 at 08:58 PM : Sep 18, 2007
What about those verses in the BOOK OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION "BIBLE" in MATHEW and JOSHUA according to which god has promised land to the people of his chosen RACE for calling your JESUS a *** and his MOTHER a HOOKER, between EUPHRATE in IRAQ and NILE in EGYPT which includes SAUDI ARABIA, IRAQ, JORDAN, SYRIA, EGYPT, KUWAIT, etc.
Dude ,
If somebody want to invade UNITED STATES by using his religious NON-SENSE , like EUROPEANS were brought into PALESTINE after WWII and like BUSH invaded IRAQ to expand the land which was occupid after the WWII, I won''t mind being called a fascist while killing anybody who occupied AMERICAN LAND.
Why god didn''t promise AMERICANS single penny while he promised NON-AMERICAN a land in the MIDDLE EAST. If I also call your JESUS "B-A-S-T-A-R-D", and call his mother a FORNICATOR, is your god alos going to choose me and promise me a land too? - Reply to this comment
- how well is it going in iraq? not very ... could petreaus have been BSing us? Ya Think?
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070918/ap_on_re_us/us_iraq_embassy
WASHINGTON - The United States on Tuesday suspended all land travel by U.S. diplomats and other civilian officials throughout Iraq, except in Baghdad''s heavily fortified Green Zone. The move follows a weekend incident involving private security guards protecting a diplomatic convoy in which a number of Iraqi civilians were killed. - Reply to this comment
- without the south supporting him, bush would be unable to continue his illegal war in iraq...
but they still love bush in the south.
war, hate, phony christians, twisted evangelist freaks.
ha,ha,ha.
nothing good comes out of the south! - Reply to this comment
Hi..I''m Lars
I like to cut and paste.
I''m a member of the fighting 101st keyboard brigade. I wage jihad on all jihadies that jihad against Bush''s global jihad. Some say I am too cowardly to actually fight the war that I support. Some say that I''m not intelligent enough to do engage in an honest debate. But I cut and paste on the keyboard day after day so that others can fight and die instead of me.- Reply to this comment
- lars,
What about the FASCIST NAZI TERROR CHRISTIAN JOHN DAVID ROY ATCHISON who was flying from FL to MI to screw a 5 years old girl since JESUS died for his sin?
What about FASCIST NAZI TERROR CHRISTIAN "CRAIG" who was trying to play THE FATHER, THE SON and THE HOLY SPIRIT in the bathroom of MINNESOTA?
What about FASCIST NAZI TERROR CHRISTIAN "FOLEY" who was trying to play THE FATHER, THE SON and THE HOLY SPIRIT on internet, and the list goes on and on and on. - Reply to this comment
- Posted by patriotic9 at 08:52 PM : Sep 18, 2007
arab land is arabia,,, go there now,,, and non muslims will let you live,,,
the war that fascist nazi terrorislamic muslims started rages on 1400 years later...
The Truth about Islamic Crusades and Imperialism
Historical facts say that Islam has been imperialistic%u2014and would still like to be, if only for religious reasons. Many Muslim clerics, scholars, and activists, for example, would like to impose Islamic law around the world. Historical facts say that Islam, including Muhammad, launched their own Crusades against Christianity long before the European Crusades.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2005/11/the_truth_about_islamic_crusad.html
http://www.americanthinker.com/2004/08/the_muslim_crusades.html
the truth about fascist nazi terrorislam...
http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened/
Islamic origins
http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/pdf/compass/hico_058.pdf
Origin of Islam
http://www.allaboutreligion.org/origin-of-islam.htm
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Origin+of Islam%3A Secular History - Reply to this comment
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