Fire Blackwater: State Dept. Panel

Loss of contract means many guards will just change uniforms

(NEWSER) - Blackwater is getting kicked out of Iraq but not all of its workers will be leaving with the shamed company, the New York Times reports. The Iraq government refused to renew the security firm's license after its guards were repeatedly accused of using excessive force but many, if not most, of its guards are expected to simply switch uniforms and work for Blackwater's replacement. More»

Firm renames itself Xe; will focus on training and logistics support

(NEWSER) - Private security firm Blackwater Worldwide is hoping to shed some of the controversy that has dogged it since its bloody tenure in Iraq by renaming itself Xe (pronounced “Zee”), the AP reports. Besides the name change, the firm has altered the focus of its business from contracting out private security to running training facilities and providing logistics support. More»

State Dept. calls renewal 'moot' after Iraq denies operating license

(AP) - The State Department said Friday it will not renew Blackwater's contract to protect American diplomats in Iraq when it expires in May. A department spokeswoman said the contract will lapse because of the Iraqi government's decision to deny Blackwater a license to operate, amid lingering outrage over a 2007 shooting incident in Baghdad that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead. More»

(NEWSER) - Five former Blackwater guards involved in a 2007 shooting that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead turned themselves in today and were charged with voluntary manslaughter, attempted manslaughter, and using firearms in the commission of a crime, CNN reports. The men, all in their 20s, were arraigned in Salt Lake City and face hundreds of years in potential sentences on the charges in the 35-count federal indictments. More»

Issues with evidence, immunity make prosecution tough

(NEWSER) - Legal cases against Blackwater employees accused of committing murder and other violent crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan have been collapsing one by one, the New York Times reports. This week, the Justice Department dropped a case against an armorer accused of killing a guard to an Iraqi official; the move is the latest in a series of cases dropped due to difficulty gathering evidence, establishing jurisdiction, and working around promises of immunity. “The battlefield is not a place that lends itself to the preservation of evidence,” said an expert. More»