Main U.S. Base Near Baghdad Attacked
Rocket Or Mortar Kills 2 Coalition Soldiers And Wounds 38 Others
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Detainees wait for their release from a U.S.-run facility at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Oct. 10, 2007. About 60 a day were released during Ramadan – which ended Wednesday - as a goodwill gesture by the U.S. (AP)
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The aftermath of an Oct. 10, 2007 car bombing in Tikrit, Iraq - Saddam Hussein's hometown. The explosion, near a market, killed a policeman and a civilian and wounded another policeman and three other civilians. (AP)
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Karon (left) and Nora, daughters of Marou Awanis, one of two Christian women killed Oct. 9, 2007, in Baghdad by members of a private security firm, are seen here the next day at their mother's funeral in Baghdad. (AP)
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Play CBS Video Video Insider's View Of Blackwater "Only On The Web": Kelly Capeheart is a former employee of Blackwater, a private security firm in Iraq. Capeheart says he's standing by the firm, because it has been unfairly portrayed in the media.
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Video Rockets Hit U.S. Base In Iraq A rocket attack by unknown assailants killed two U.S. soldiers in a military base outside Baghdad. The base housed offices of Gen. David Petraeus and Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno. David Martin reports.
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Interactive Battle For Iraq The government, the insurgency, key players, background and photos.
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In The Spotlight Under Fire A look at Blackwater USA, the State Department's top private security contractor.
The scrutiny of Unity Resources Group began a day after its guards allegedly gunned down the two women in their car, and less than a month after 17 Iraqis died in a hail of bullets fired by Blackwater USA contractors at a busy Baghdad intersection.
At a funeral in Baghdad's Armenian Orthodox Virgin Mary church on Wednesday, the Rev. Kivork Arshlian urged the government to punish those responsible. The immunity enjoyed by foreign security contractors in Iraq should be lifted, he said.
"This is a crime against humanity in general and against Iraqis in particular. Many other people were killed in a similar way," he said. "We call upon the government to put an end to these killings."
His comments reflected growing anger here against the contractors - nearly all based in the United States, Britain and other Western countries.
As the largest security firm operating in Iraq, much of that rage has been directed at Blackwater, which protects U.S. diplomats as they move about on Baghdad's dangerous streets. An Iraqi investigation into the Sept. 16 killings recommended that the U.S. State Department sever all contracts for the company's operations in Iraq within six months.
A top aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told The Associated Press the U.S. government is considering meeting the demand.
"They have seen that the Iraqi government is serious and inflexible on this issue. But so far there has been no concrete answer from the U.S. Embassy showing it was definitely going to drop Blackwater," the aide said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
The aide said the al-Maliki government told the embassy, "We will draft and pass laws that would lift the immunity on these security companies to stop their reckless behavior."
The embassy declined to comment.
According to witnesses and police, the Armenian Christian women died when their white Oldsmobile was struck by bullets from two Unity guards as the convoy was returning to a company compound in the Karradah district.
"We cannot say the guards shot at random, but we rather say that they used deadly force in a situation where they shouldn't have," said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. "The preliminary investigation has shown that there was no threat to the convoy. The families of the victims will be summoned according to the legal procedures. They can file a law suit against the security company."
Unity Chief Operating Officer Michael Priddin said company officials had "been meeting with Iraqi authorities throughout the day and are cooperating with their investigations."
"The security team used graduated and escalated responses which included non-lethal means such as signage, strobe lights, hand signals, and a signal flare fired in front of the vehicle in an effort to get it to stop," Priddin said in a statement Wednesday night. "The vehicle did not heed these warnings and failed to halt. Fearing a suicide attack, only then did the team use their weapons in a final attempt to stop the vehicle."
Witnesses, however, said the women's car appeared to be attempting to stop when it was hit.
U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner said the incident is being investigated.
Unity, which is owned by Australian partners but with headquarters in the United Arab Emirates, provides protection for USAID contractor RTI International. According to the USAID Web site, RTI has about $450 million in U.S. government contracts to work on local governance projects in Iraq. USAID is a semiautonomous arm of the U.S. State Department that manages American aide programs.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
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See all 31 CommentsOh - but listen to the die-hard far left, still hoping this will win the election for Hillary - "It''s the second tet offensive! The sky is falling, the sky is falling!"
(Unless it''s somebody like terrorislam1. That would be a sacrifice we could steel ourselves to endure.)
Posted by Iceman_1960
You''re right. We, Americans could handle the tragic loss of one such as terrorislam1lars008screamingprick, but not the loss of more of our brave military. The surge was to buy some breathing room for the Iraqis to accomplish reconciliation. The Iraqis say that''s not going to happen. Time to end the surge, reinstate the declaration of "Mission Accomplished" and get our soldiers out of the civil war that bushit guaranteed. Or, is the reason for continuing the surge going to become the same kind of moving target as the reason for the war has been?
Our bet - less than 10 minutes to turn that hugely expensive white elephant into dust. Your guess?
Are we there yet?
The TET Offensive (Act II) may have begun!
SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!!
--- Defense Secretary Gates & the Army''''s Chief of Staff wants to increase our military to restore our Military''''s Ready Strategic Reserves --------- Taxes will pay for it & the equipment & training they will need ----
------- Support the Troops this time with a bit of reality, we might be able to actually win a war in the future instead of losing as in the Bush administration.
The trillion dollar tax fight
By now, everyone knows Rep. Charles B. Rangel is poised to introduce the %u201Cmother%u201D of all tax reforms, the biggest and most expensive tax code overhaul since 1986.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1007/6250.html
Muslims tell Christians: ''Make peace with us or survival of world is at stake''
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23416235-details/Muslims+tell Christians%3A ''Make peace with us or survival of world is at stake''/article.do
Actually, the Regime and the Oligarchy that it fronts for has achieved its primary goals..It has restored opium production in Afghanistan. It has reduced Iraq to impotence and is on the fast track to dividing it up, as the Zio-Nazi Senate of the United States resolved recently to do in accordance with decades-old Israeli strategic designs. It has seized control of Iraqs Oil fields so that Iraqi oil will not serve to drive down the price of OPEC/ARAMCO production. It is on a relentless propaganda drive to launch an attack on Iran and control its production as well. And, the leading candidates of the mainstream parties running for the presidency are supporting continuation of the war and an attack on Iran.
If you don''t vote for Paul, Kucinich or Gravel-- you are getting 4-8 more years of Bush policies.
- Posted by terrorislam1 at 01:12 PM : Oct 11, 2007
Going around with a handbag -- I hope it matched his shoes.
What a sissy.
- Posted by radiob at 08:15 AM : Oct 11, 2007
In World War II it wouldn''t have been.
In the useless, counterproductive war like Iraq, one casualty is one too many.
(Unless it''s somebody like terrorislam1. That would be a sacrifice we could steel ourselves to endure.)
Germany considers increased spying on Muslims
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/19539.html
Swiss expulsion proposal draws criticism
Under the plan, entire families would be expelled if their children are convicted of a violent crime, drug offenses or benefits fraud.
"We believe that parents are responsible for bringing up their children. If they can''t do it properly, they will have to bear the consequences," Ueli Maurer, president of the People''s Party, told The Associated Press.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070901/ap_on_re_eu/switzerland_deportation_campaign
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2938940.ece
http://www.iht.com/bin/print.php?id=7787528
Netherlands sets plan against extremism
The Dutch government will spend $38 million over the next four years to prevent both the growth of Islamic fundamentalism and right-wing nationalism, an official said Monday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070827/ap_on_re_eu/netherlands_extremists_1
Germany Wants to Spy on Suspects Via Web
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8RC4F2O1&show_article=1
EU mulls Internet clampdown to combat %u201Cterrorism%u201D
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071001154843.cjbfw3h8&show_article=1
Austria Nabs Armed Man At U.S. Embassy
Police In Vienna Arrest Man After Finding Grenades, Islamic Literature In His Bag
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/01/world/main3314322.shtml?mpid=1732
if you''re a Republican.
Posted by radiob at 08:15 AM : Oct 11, 2007
Just how many would it take to satisfy your lust for blood?
"NO government services should be "privatized." If it''''s a taxpayer funded service, it should be performed by government employees. "
Posted by tuckerndfw
So you think a huge government is the answer? I dont. I think most of this guffaw should be flushed and left to each individual State to regulate, like its supposed to be. The military, on the other hand, should be dealing with the military goals, and a substantial part of that comes from private industry. That goes back as far back as the first army depending on farmers for its subsistence.
People like McVet try to create an image that they are behind America and represent American goals. That could not be further from the truth. The truth is these types are nothing more than sheep following poor and untrusting, ill defined goals. They are the only ones out there that will believe the conspiracy theories that are spread on the internet with out researching the stories themselves. If they did, they would know that most of the stories are just that, just stories.
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