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US Ignored Blackwater Warnings

Immunity for guards was 'a bomb that could go off at any time'

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 7, 2007 8:02 PM CDT

(Newser) – The White House ignored signals about Blackwater and other private mercs for years, rejecting the idea that they were "a bomb that could go off at any time," the Los Angeles Times reports. One official says that contract guards blatantly smashed property and scared Iraqis, then argued that they should all be treated like terrorists. "If they weren't terrorists before, they certainly are now," the official says.

US lawmakers yanked contractors' legal immunity last week, and Condoleezza Rice has upped oversight, but an ex-staffer claims that mercs have already undermined US efforts in Iraq. Diplomats admit they're partly to blame, wanting top security when they leave the US-controlled Green Zone: “You want the biggest, meanest guys in the world protecting you,” one says.

A Blackwater security contractor guards the convoy of U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad during a tour of Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq, in a Sunday, Sept. 25, 2005... (Associated Press)

Plainclothes contractors working for Blackwater USA take part in a firefight as Iraqi demonstrators loyal to Muqtada Al Sadr attempt to advance on a facility being defended by U.S. and Spanish soldiers,... (Associated Press)

FILE **Two FBI Special Agent Bomb Technicians investigate the site where a military armored bus was damaged by a roadside bomb on the highway near Baghdad International Airport in Baghdad, Iraq in this... (Associated Press)

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gestures during a news conference at the State Department in Washington in this Sept. 21, 2007 file photo. Rice on Friday, Oct. 5, 2007, ordered a major overhaul of... (Associated Press)

Blackwater security contractors guard U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad as he arrives at a community sports center in Baghdad, Iraq, in a Saturday, March 25, 2006 photo. The official Iraqi investigation... (Associated Press)

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US Ignored Blackwater Warnings

Immunity for guards was 'a bomb that could go off at any time'

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Yet Another Blackwater Case Collapses

Issues with evidence, immunity make prosecution tough

US Seeks Iraqi Authority to Continue War

Agreement would not need ratification

Diplomats to Be Ordered to Serve in Iraq

Lack of volunteers spurs biggest call-up since Vietnam War

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Lax controls, slopping accounting

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DOJ runs up against immunity deal, possible gaps in US law

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US Ignored Blackwater Warnings

Immunity for guards was 'a bomb that could go off at any time'

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Iraq • Green Zone • Condoleezza Rice • State Department • Blackwater • contractors • diplomat • immunity

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Yet Another Blackwater Case Collapses

Issues with evidence, immunity make prosecution tough

US Seeks Iraqi Authority to Continue War

Agreement would not need ratification

Diplomats to Be Ordered to Serve in Iraq

Lack of volunteers spurs biggest call-up since Vietnam War

Audits Rip Fed Oversight of Security Firms, Costs

Lax controls, slopping accounting

Blackwater Probe Hits Roadblocks

DOJ runs up against immunity deal, possible gaps in US law

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?