Blackwater Told to Leave Iraq

[afchic]

It is about damn time!!!

Iraq: Blackwater not welcome
U.S. embassy told to find new security after contractors' 'improper conduct'
The Associated Press
updated 7:25 a.m. CT, Thurs., Jan. 29, 2009
BAGHDAD - Iraq will not allow Blackwater Worldwide to continue providing security protection for U.S. diplomats in the country, Iraqi and U.S. officials said Thursday, a move that would deprive U.S. officials of their primary protection force.

Blackwater's image in Iraq was irrevocably tarnished by the September 2007 killing of 17 Iraqi civilians in Nisoor Square. Five former Blackwater guards pleaded not guilty Jan. 6 in federal court in Washington to manslaughter and gun charges in that shooting.

Even before the shooting, Blackwater had a reputation for aggressive operations and using excessive force in protecting American officials, an allegation the company has disputed.

Anne Tyrrell, a spokeswoman for the North Carolina-based company, said the company had not yet been notified of the Iraqi decision.

"I can tell you that we have received no official communications from the government of Iraq on this matter," she said.

'Excessive use of force'
The decision not to issue Blackwater an operating license was due to "improper conduct and excessive use of force," said Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf.

Neither Khalaf nor a U.S. Embassy official gave a date for Blackwater personnel to leave the country and neither said whether they would be allowed to continue guarding U.S. diplomats during the interim.

A U.S.-Iraqi security agreement approved in November gives the Iraqis the authority to determine which Western security companies operate in Iraq. A joint U.S.-Iraqi committee is drawing up procedures for licensing and regulating security companies under the security agreement and it is unclear when it will finish the process.

"We have followed the procedures to apply for and secure operating licenses in Iraq," said Tyrrell, the Blackwater spokeswoman. "Any further questions about that the licensing process should be directed to our customer."

U.S. told to find new security
Khalaf said Blackwater employees who have not been implicated in the 2007 shooting have the right to work in Iraq but must find a different employer.

"We sent our decision to the U.S. Embassy last Friday," Khalaf told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "They have to find a new security company."


The U.S. Embassy official confirmed it received the government's decision, saying that U.S. officials were working with the Iraqi government and its contractors to address the "implications of this decision."

The official made the statement on condition of anonymity under embassy regulations.

In the 2007 shooting, Blackwater maintains its guards opened fire after coming under attack after a car in a State Department convoy broke down.

The Iraqi government has labeled the guards "criminals" and is closely watching the case.

The State Department relies heavily in Blackwater since it is the largest and best-equipped security company here.

But the company has become a lightning rod for Iraqi complaints about the behavior of Western security companies, whose employees were immune from prosecution under Iraqi law until the security agreement took effect this month.

More on Blackwater


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[Team Sergeant]

Poor poor erik prince, his empire is about to crumble. That's what you get for teaching crappy techniques, tactics and procedures to mall security guards.

The beginning of the end.

I don't have any sympathy for the current blackwater employees/contractors, you all saw this coming.

Team Sergeant

[Sigaba]

Source is here.

Blackwater says it could leave Iraq with 72 hours
By MIKE BAKER, Associated Press writer Mike Baker, Associated Press Writer 57 mins ago

MOYOCK, N.C. – Blackwater Worldwide, which guards American diplomats in Iraq, said Thursday it would be prepared to leave that country within 72 hours after Iraqi officials denied the North Carolina-based company an operating license because of a deadly shooting spree in Baghdad.

But Blackwater founder Erik Prince told The Associated Press that while losing the State Department contract would hurt the company, the move would cause more harm to the diplomats it has protected since soon after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

"Our abrupt departure would far more hurt the reconstruction team and the diplomats trying to rebuild the country than it would hurt us as a business," Prince said Thursday in an exclusive interview with the AP.

Iraqi officials said the lingering outrage over a September 2007 shooting in Baghdad's Nisoor Square that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead led to its decision.

The shooting strained relations between Washington and Baghdad and fueled the anti-American insurgency in Iraq, where many Iraqis saw the bloodshed as a demonstration of American brutality and arrogance. Five former Blackwater guards have pleaded not guilty to federal charges in the United States that include 14 counts of manslaughter and 20 counts of attempted manslaughter.

Blackwater maintains the guards opened fire after coming under attack, an argument supported by transcripts of Blackwater radio logs obtained by the AP. They describe a hectic eight minutes in which the guards repeatedly reported incoming gunfire from insurgents and Iraqi police.

The Iraqi decision to deny Blackwater an operating license was made public Thursday. A U.S.-Iraqi security agreement, which took effect Jan. 1, gives the Iraqis the authority to determine which Western contractors operate in their country.

"We sent our decision to the U.S. Embassy last Friday," Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf told the AP. "They have to find a new security company."

State Department spokesman Robert A. Wood said the department has yet to determine its next step.

"We have to study and see what we're going to do next," said Wood. "We haven't made a decision on how we're going to move forward yet."

Prince said his company had yet to receive orders from the State Department to evacuate.

Neither Khalaf nor a U.S. Embassy official speaking on condition of anonymity gave a date for Blackwater personnel to leave Iraq, and neither said whether they would be allowed to continue guarding U.S. diplomats in the meantime.

Blackwater president Gary Jackson told the AP the company has plans to remove its nearly two dozen aircraft and 1,000 security contractors from Iraq within 72 hours of receiving such an order. "If they tell us to leave, we'll pack it up and go," Jackson said.

Two other U.S.-based security contractors working for the State Department — DynCorp and Triple Canopy — have licenses to operate in Iraq. But Prince played down the possibility that Blackwater contractors would simply move to another employer.

"It is a big assumption for someone to say, 'Fire Blackwater (and) all those guys will migrate over to one of the other competitors.'" Prince said. "It's not that easy."

Blackwater has been operating in Iraq without a formal license since it arrived in the country. The State Department extended Blackwater's contract for a year last spring, despite widespread calls for it to be expelled because of the shootings.

Blackwater's work in Iraq, which includes a reputation for aggressive operations and excessive force it disputes as unfair and inaccurate, turned the company into a catchall brand name for private security contractors. Executives said last year that the unwanted attention had them shifting their focus away from private security.

If banned from protecting diplomats in Iraq, Blackwater executives said Thursday the company remains on track to reach a goal of $1 billion in annual revenues in the next year or two. The State Department contract comprises about one-third of the company's overall revenues, though the work of providing actual boots-on-ground security is only part of the deal.

The private security firm, which trained some 25,000 civilians, law enforcement and military personnel last year, continues to expand even as its future in Iraq becomes less promising. Blackwater has a fleet of 76 aircraft, and almost all of them are deployed in hot spots in places like Afghanistan and West Africa.

On Thursday, three international teams were at the company's compound in North Carolina going through classes: Authorities from Yemen flipped through four-inch binders as they learned how to identify the components of an explosive by looking at X-rays. A group from the country of Georgia was practicing SWAT techniques in a makeshift building, taking instructions through a translator from a Blackwater official.

A Canadian team was also on site, along with a number of other law enforcement, Coast Guard and civilians who kicked up burning rubber on a driving track and rattled off rounds on shooting ranges. Members of the Army and Navy were practicing their driving skills in Blackwater's mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles.

"When you first hear Blackwater, you automatically, instantly think about the overseas stuff," said Jim Sierawski, Blackwater's vice president for training. "That overshadows the training center. Here, we've been on a steady incline every year."

[LR27]

Originally Posted by Team Sergeant

Poor poor erik prince, his empire is about to crumble. That's what you get for teaching crappy techniques, tactics and procedures to mall security guards.

The beginning of the end.

I don't have any sympathy for the current blackwater employees/contractors, you all saw this coming.

Team Sergeant

It may be the beginning of the end, but I think the end might still be pretty far off. They still have a lot of other contracts in different countries. I don't think Prince's empire has fallen just yet.

I think this is the fault not only of Blackwater and its leadership, but the State Department. Their standards for the WPPS contract clear anybody with 3 years of military service or law enforcement experience to attend the company's selection. State shoud have made the requirements much more stringent, limiting hiring to former special operations personnel only.

[ryn996]

Originally Posted by LongRange27

I State shoud have made the requirements much more stringent, limiting hiring to former special operations personnel only.

They would have never gotten the required personnel. I worked for DynCorp on the WPPS contract and there were former SF, Rangers, Marine Recon, Marine Embassy Guards, Marine Infantry, Federal Agents, and civilian law enforcement. Just because someone came from a certain background didn't mean they were squared away. There were good and bad from all of the above.

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by ryn996

They would have never gotten the required personnel. I worked for DynCorp on the WPPS contract and there were former SF, Rangers, Marine Recon, Marine Embassy Guards, Marine Infantry, Federal Agents, and civilian law enforcement. Just because someone came from a certain background didn't mean they were squared away. There were good and bad from all of the above.

Actually it does and because you were never in an SF, SEAL or Ranger unit it's something you could not understand. The problem with most employers like blackwater is they don't care what the individual's background. And a whole lot of the contractors are special operations fakes, frauds and posers, but what do the employers care, it's another warm body carrying a weapon.

Save your Special Operations "opinions" for military.com, they don't carry any weight here.

Team Sergeant

[mac117]

I doubt if Prince and his staff really care if they are kicked out of Iraq. He's made his millions there.....everything else is just a residual......besides, there are plenty of other s#$% countries in turmoil to take advantage of.

[ryn996]

Originally Posted by Team Sergeant

Actually it does and because you were never in an SF, SEAL or Ranger unit it's something you could not understand. The problem with most employers like blackwater is they don't care what the individual's background. And a whole lot of the contractors are special operations fakes, frauds and posers, but what do the employers care, it's another warm body carrying a weapon.

Save your Special Operations "opinions" for military.com, they don't carry any weight here.
Team Sergeant

Have you ever worked on the WPPS program? How is what I say opinions when I did and worked with former Special Operations guys who couldn't follow directions, couldn't shoot straight, and were ineffective at their job's because they were alcoholics who got drunk every night? None of these guys were fakes, as they were known by other competent guys in their field.

Like I said, there were good and bad from every service and every background. You are wrong if you think a guy is automatically good to go or unable to perform because of what he previously did.

[LR27]

Originally Posted by ryn996

Have you ever worked on the WPPS program? How is what I say opinions when I did and worked with former Special Operations guys who couldn't follow directions, couldn't shoot straight, and were ineffective at their job's because they were alcoholics who got drunk every night? None of these guys were fakes, as they were known by other competent guys in their field.

Like I said, there were good and bad from every service and every background. You are wrong if you think a guy is automatically good to go or unable to perform because of what he previously did.

I am not a QP yet. But one standard I have picked up on so far is that quality is better than quantity. I was 2 seconds from working on the WPPS contract for BW, but I followed my better judgment after their they turned Nisour Square into a shooting range. I don't know what Prince learned as a SEAL, but if you're missing a couple guys for a direct action mission, you don't bring cooks along to fill the void.

Bottom line is they should have much more stringent hiring standards. If they did, 17 Iraqi's might still be alive and Blackwater would still be roaming the streets of Baghdad.

P.S. Word of advice: Openly questioning a QP, especially TS, is probably not a good idea.

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by ryn996

Have you ever worked on the WPPS program? How is what I say opinions when I did and worked with former Special Operations guys who couldn't follow directions, couldn't shoot straight, and were ineffective at their job's because they were alcoholics who got drunk every night? None of these guys were fakes, as they were known by other competent guys in their field.

Like I said, there were good and bad from every service and every background. You are wrong if you think a guy is automatically good to go or unable to perform because of what he previously did.

There's not enough money for me to take a job as a blackwater contractor. And I have been a personal body-guard for an American Ambassador, a senator and a few congressmen. Even got a nifty "Thank you" from the Director of US Dept of State Diplomatic Security.

Thanks for playing private, its time for you to go else where and play. As I've said before you've not earned the right to talk smack about anyone in Special Operations. You've got no idea what you're talking about, or whom you're talking about as far as I'm concerned.

See ya.

Team Sergeant