[66] Howard Krongard, who was appointed Inspector General of the U.S. State Department in 2005,[67] resigned in December 2007 after he was accused by the House Oversight Committee of improperly interfering with investigations into the Blackwater Baghdad shootings. [26][27], On September 27, 2007, The New York Times reported that during the chaotic incident at Nisour Square, one member of the Blackwater security team continued to fire on civilians despite urgent cease-fire calls from colleagues. [57], In October 2007, the United Nations released a two-year study that stated that private contractors, although hired as "security guards", were performing military duties. Haythem, the composed, articulate and powerfully calm father and husband of Ahmed and Mohasin, who died in the white car, expected them to pick him up at the health center where he worked that afternoon. And despite numerous failures to comply with its security contract, including a failure to maintain the required number of security specialists, the State Department never sought out the $55 million in penalties that Blackwater should've been charged. In October, the US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released its analysis of Blackwater's own internal reporting since 2005, which found 195 shooting incidents in the last two years, including 160 in which Blackwater employees fired the first shot. Please try again. In fact, they even renewed the contract in 2008. Legislation now working its way through Congress would resolve some of the gaps in the law, and hold all US private security contractors subject to criminal sanctions for felonies committed abroad. On September 16, 2007, a car bomb went off in Baghdad, Iraq, near the Izdihar Compound, where a U.S. diplomat was meeting with Iraqi officials, at approximately 11:53 AM. The film documents the use of chemical weapons, particularly the use of incendiary bombs, and alleges indiscriminate use of violence against civilians and children by military forces of the United States of America in the city of Fallujah in Iraq during the Fallujah Offensive of November 2004 . [9], Blackwater guards claimed that the convoy was ambushed and that they fired at the attackers in defense of the convoy. But the State Department representative kept insisting on a number. [34], In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, Blackwater's rights to conduct work in Iraq were temporarily suspended. Although one military review found that "all of the killings were unjustified and potentially criminal," in November 2007, the FBI determined that only 14 out of the 17 killings were unjustified, according to Reuters. [36] Several Iraqi and American investigations have been conducted into the incident. Convoy Attacked in Baghdad, Sparking a Shootout", "3 Blackwater Guards Called Baghdad Shootings Unjustified", "Blackwater Denies Any Wrongdoing in Shooting Incident (Update1)", "Iraqi leader urges U.S. to cancel Blackwater contract", "Iraqi Investigators say Videotape Shows Blackwater Guards Fired Without Aggravation", "House Passes Bill That Would Hike Penalties for U.S. Security Contractors in Iraq", "Private Security Company Association Iraq", "Iraqi Government Disputes Blackwater USA's Version of Shooting", "Iraq battle was self-defense, security firm says", "FBI takes lead in probe over Blackwater crisis", "Blackwater most often shoots first, congressional report says", "Report: Blackwater Killings Unjustified", "From Texas to Iraq, and Center of Blackwater Case", No forensic match for ammo in Blackwater shooting, "The Associated Press: APNewsBreak: Blackwater founder questions FBI work", "Overcoming post-colonial myopia: A call to recognize and regulate private military companie"s, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Army, "Wounded Iraqis: 'No one did anything' to provoke Blackwater", "Blackwater incident witness: 'It was hell', Family Members of Slain Iraqis Sue Blackwater USA for Deadly Baghdad Shooting, "Blackwater Verdict a U.S. 'Snub' of Iraqi Leader Nouri al-Maliki: Kayhan, Islamic Republic of Iran", "White House: Contractor bill would have 'intolerable' effects", "Blackwater settles Nisoor Square lawsuit", "5 Blackwater guards face manslaughter charges", "Blackwater Guard in Secret Deal to Testify in Massacre Case", "US judge sets trial in 2010 for Blackwater guards", "Appeals court revives Blackwater shooting case", "US judge dismisses charges in Blackwater Iraq killings", "Reopening of Blackwater Case Confuses Iraqi Victims", "Biden Says U.S. Will Appeal Blackwater Case Dismissal (Published 2010)", "ICD - Slough et al. ", Ahmed "was my first baby boy," he said. The Iraqi government and Iraqi police investigator Faris Saadi Abdul stated that the killings were unprovoked. "[29], On October 4, 2007, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that it would be taking the lead in the investigation of the shooting incident. The Blackwater Shooting - The New York Times "[21] Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki harshly criticized the dismissal. [23]:32 Shortly after assuming their positions, "Raven 23" began firing on civilians in response to an approaching car, killing fourteen and wounding twenty more. It's all the news that's fit to watch. Although Blackwater denies using helicopters, "at least one [of] the car roofs had bullets through them.". [40], On October 11, 2007, the Center for Constitutional Rights filed suit against Blackwater USA under the Alien Tort Claims Act on behalf of an injured Iraqi and the families of three of the seventeen Iraqis who were killed by Blackwater employees during the September 16, 2007, shooting incident. [29] The banning was described by P. W. Singer, an expert on the private military industry, as "inevitable", given the US government's reliance on and lack of oversight of the private military industry in Iraq. A Blackwater team was already there, with the diplomat, who ended up being escorted back to the International Zone without any incident. He thought the helicopters would start spraying those who were hiding behind the hill for safety from the street-level threat. For several years, a private security firm known as Blackwater Security Consulting received an unprecedented level of funding and incredibly limited oversight from the United States. Nisour Square massacre - Wikipedia He identified his wife of 20 years by a dental bridge. "If you perceive marriage as half of your life, Mohasin was my best half," he said. An estimated 20,000 to 35,000 private security contractors operate in Iraq, without adequate oversight, without adequate training and without adequate legal sanctions to hold abusers accountable. This contract ended up being extended into 2006 and the total cost of that single contract came out to over $300 million. Now, left to deal with the aftermath are 16 grieving families, and those, like Hooby, still trying to recover from their wounds. By 2007, the State Department started reviewing Blackwater's $1 billion contract and they discovered a slew of misconduct. [14], On October 2, 2007, the Democratic staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released a report stating that Blackwater USA guards had used deadly force weekly in Iraq and had inflicted "significant casualties and property damage". (modern). Donald Trump has pardoned four security guards from the private military firm Blackwater who were serving jail sentences for killing 14 civilians including two children in Baghdad in 2007, a massacre that sparked an international outcry over the use of mercenaries in war. UN criticises Trump's pardons for Blackwater guards jailed over Iraq He described how he crouched by the car, his right arm reaching inside, his head out and left arm up in the air, signaling to the convoy, his gun secure in its holster. An error occurred while subscribing your email address. In Nisour Square, the Blackwater team later claimed that they were "engaged with small arms fire" by an "estimated 8-10 persons." Defence lawyers argued their clients returned fire after being ambushed by Iraqi insurgents. Stuck in heavy traffic on the opposite side of the square from Yarmouk road, he heard the shooting start. [43], The Private Security Company Association of Iraq, in a document last updated on July 3, 2007, listed Blackwater as not having a license to operate in Iraq despite their attempts to apply for one. [19] The three justifiable killings were those of the two passengers in the white Kia sedan and an unidentified Iraqi nearby. Film Based on Blackwater Founder Erik Prince in the Works However, according to "Blackwater" by Jeremy Scahill, the report was written by Darren Hanner, a Blackwater contractor. ", According to the memo Richter wrote to State Department officials in Washington after the incident, "Mr. Carroll's statement was made in a low, even tone of voice, his head was slightly lowered; his eyes were fixed on mine. [54] He received an honorable discharge in 2002 and then enlisted in the Texas National Guard. If successful, it will be the first time the US government has held private security contractors criminally liable for abusive behavior directed at Iraqis. According to Tidings Media, one guard continued to shoot at unarmed civilians until another guard drew his own gun on him and threatened to shoot. The key people in this have not spoken with investigators. Slattern was sentenced to life and the others to 30 years in prison each. [42] A spokesman stated that the ban would last for the duration of the investigation, and that it would not be permanent. However, as The New York Times reports, "not one witness heard or saw any gunfire coming from Iraqis around the square." The Untold Truth Of The Blackwater Massacre - Grunge [36], On September 19, as a result of the incident, the United States temporarily suspended all land travel by U.S. diplomats and other civilian officials in Iraq outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. Despite being heavily involved with the United States' military involvement in Southwest and Central Asia, Blackwater was often harmful and rarely helpful. [21]:116[22] The Blackwater commander, Jimmy Watson, had received an order to stand by and not leave the Green Zone upon reaching a checkpoint, but he made a "tactical decision" to advance to Nisour Square after waiting for a few minutes; upon informing the Blackwater Tactical Operations Center of this, he was ordered to return to the Green Zone. The screenplay was originally written by Stuart Beattie, with Roskam penning the most recent draft. Explained: Why Trump's pardon to Blackwater contractors is [8][98] A White House statement said the men had a "long history of service to the nation" as veterans of the US Armed Forces, and that there was strong support for the pardons from the public and elected officials. The 14 victims killed by the Blackwater guards on trial were listed as Ahmed Haithem Ahmed Al Rubiay, Mahassin Mohssen Kadhum Al-Khazali, Osama Fadhil Abbas, Ali Mohammed Hafedh Abdul Razzaq, Mohamed Abbas Mahmoud, Qasim Mohamed Abbas Mahmoud, Saadi Ali Abbas Alkarkh, Mushtaq Karim Abd Al-Razzaq, Ghaniyah Hassan Ali, Ibrahim Abid Ayash, Hamoud Saeed Abttan, Uday Ismail Ibrahiem, Mahdi Sahib Nasir and Ali Khalil Abdul Hussein. In his testimony, Prince noted that, "It seems the ballistics analysis was done to prove the guilt of the Americans, not to just try to identify what happened there." Robert Young Pelton, a journalist who spent a month with Blackwater in Iraq, said that the guards "use[d] their machine guns like car horns," per Tidings Media. He also maintained that he wanted to limit and reduce the authority of all security contractors, not just Blackwater, Timereports. He hid behind the police traffic booth, but shots came directly at him, hitting the adjacent traffic light and booth's door, and he fled back across Yarmouk road to safety behind a hill. [87], On April 13, 2015, federal district judge Royce C. Lamberth sentenced Slatten to life in prison, while the other three guards were sentenced to 30 years in prison each. In their view, this confirmed that they were under attack by a vehicle bomb, whereupon they fired at the car, killing both people in it as well as the Iraqi policeman. "I said their lives are priceless," said Haythem. Share this via Twitter [71], In December 2008, the United States Department of Justice announced it was filing criminal charges against five of the Blackwater employees, and ordered them to surrender to the FBI. But the Iraqis' hands are tied. He spent the next two months at home, recuperating. If it is determined that one person was complicit in the wrongdoing, we would support accountability in that. At stake is the future of other innocent lives, as well as America's reputation throughout the Middle East and across the world. However, the company was allowed to continue to operate in Iraq until January 2009 when the U.S.Iraq Status of Forces Agreement took effect. His brother's wife had delivered their first child, a daughter, just 20 days earlier. [37], Blackwater, which had been operating in Iraq without an Iraqi government license, applied for one after the incident, but the application was rejected by Iraqi officials in January 2009. A State Department employee who was walking into the department's Baghdad operations center on the day of the incident heard a radio call from the convoy: "Contact, contact, contact! The audit also revealed that Blackwater overbilled at least $70,000 in travel costs. "[46] Hasan Jaber Salman, a lawyer who was one of the wounded, said that "no one did anything to provoke Blackwater" and that "as we turned back they opened fire at all cars from behind"[61] An Iraqi police officer who was directing traffic at the scene said Blackwater guards "became the terrorists" when they opened fire on civilians unprovoked, while a businessman said he wasn't seeking compensation but only "the truth" from the guards. Ahmed would count upwards of 40 bullet holes in their car alone. At least four other Iraqis have been reported killed in that incident on Sept. 9. "[32] According to Blackwater vice-president Marty Strong, the convoy was hit with "a large explosive device" and "repeated small arms fire" which disabled a vehicle. Human Rights Watch reports that some helicopters above ever started shooting at the street below. (L-r) Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Paul Slough, Nicholas Slatten. [93], On December 19, 2018, Slatten was found guilty of murder[94] and again was sentenced to life in prison on August 14, 2019. Join our movement today. Of the 17 that lost their lives, two were children under the age of 12, with the youngest aged 9 years old. According to The New York Times, after the initial gunfire on the first car, the Blackwater guards "unleashed an overwhelming barrage of gunfire" onto Iraqi people who were trying to flee. Trump's Blackwater Guard Pardons Cause Shock And Dismay : NPR Despite the reports and investigations that determined that the use of force was unjustified, the Blackwater guards maintain that they'd "never take an innocent life. [41], On September 18, 2007, an Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman said Blackwater is "not allowed to operate anywhere in the Republic of Iraq". But this was likely due to the fact that the U.S.Iraq Status of Forces Agreement, which took effect in 2009, ended contractor immunity. Khalaf turned back toward the Yarmouk road to see what might have spurred the shooting and heard a woman yell, "My son! "Conduct our deepest love to all the Americans who support and work hard to stop killing of innocent people all over the world," he said. The report found that the guards fired their weapons 195 times from the beginning of 2005 through the second week of September 2005. Even General David Petraeus and former ambassador Ryan Crocker, top officials in charge of Iraq policy at the time of the massacre, issued a joint statement called the pardons "hugely damaging, an action that tells the world that Americans abroad can commit the most heinous crimes with impunity.". [41] Senate Democratic leaders said they planned to pass similar legislation as soon as possible. [54] He served one tour in Iraq before being hired as a Personal Security Specialist in Iraq. That day destroyed me completely, Kinani said. Between 2004 and 2008, the State Department ended giving Blackwater more than $1 billion in contracts. The film, an international co-production of Australia and the United Kingdom, is set in the mangrove swamps of northern Australia, and stars Diana Glenn, Maeve Dermody and Andy Rodoreda. In addition, the vehicles that were meant to protect diplomats were "poorly maintained," and during one party, four drunk Blackwater guards had crashed a $180,000 armored vehicle into a concrete barrier. They claimed they were fired on, but prosecutors . The numerals and letters matched the family's plate. [4] In 2014, four Blackwater employees were tried[5] and convicted in U.S. federal court; one of murder, and the other three of manslaughter and firearms charges;[6] all four convicted were controversially pardoned by President Donald Trump in December 2020. stunt double: Jasmine Waltz Kelly Bellini . The Blackwater team also claimed that some of the "aggressors" were dressed like Iraqi Police as well as civilians. "I tried to help the young man, but his mother was holding him so tight," said Khalaf. It remains unclear whether the team member mistook the civilians for insurgents. The BBC reports that during Slatten's second trial in 2018, a mistrial was declared after the jury deliberated for 16 days. Within 10 days of the massacre, it appeared as though the State Department had already investigated the incident based on a report leaked to the media. [41], Richard J. Griffin, the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, who made key decisions regarding the department's oversight of private security contractor Blackwater USA, resigned in November 2007, after a critical review by the House Oversight Committee found that his office had failed to adequately supervise private contractors during the Blackwater Baghdad shootings. Blackwater's owner, Erik Prince, recently said his company is spending $2 million a month in legal . A sixth guard, Jeremy Ridgeway, pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with investigators, World reports. Prince strongly criticized the way in which federal authorities had handled the investigation and disputed the claims that U.S. or Blackwater personnel were to blame for the shootings. His brother went to the emergency room, then to the morgue. This time, only four out of the five guards were charged, since the charges against Ball were dropped based on "prosecutorial discretion. They were also contracted for personal protective services in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Haiti, Israel, and Palestine. "The civilians that were fired upon, they didn't have any weapons to fire back at them. Two days after the meeting with Carroll, Richter and Thomas were told by an embassy official to "leave Iraq immediately.". In a panic, Hooby turned his car around and was leaving the area when the convoy approached from behind, throwing water bottles at the roof of his car. [I]f such a thing happened in America or Britain, would the American president or American citizens accept it? [59] (The Protocol makes no distinction between defensive and offensive actions, but the U.S. does make such a distinction, in that it does not regard defensive actions by security guards to be combat. But this convoy made an unexpected U-turn, drove the wrong way around the one-way square, stopped in the middle of it and started shooting. Ghasson Mahmood was a 55-year-old civil engineer. That lethal incident was a watershed moment that brought intense scrutiny to the problems caused by private contractors, which have effectively operated with impunity as they've brought violence and widespread ill will to US operations in Iraq. Supporters of the former contractors at Blackwater Worldwide had lobbied for the pardons, arguing that the men had been excessively punished. Blackwater (2007) - IMDb And Blackwater is not the only problem. Like Khalaf, Hooby said he never saw anyone on his side of the square make even a threatening gesture toward the Blackwater convoy. [24] The driver of the Kia was shot once in the head by a Blackwater contractor and was killed. Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3)nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808. Prince's remarks were subsequently reported in the Washington Post.). In 2002, Blackwater received its first contract from the United States government. [99], Clemency caused outrage among Iraqi citizens and family members of the victims. [14], On October 13, 2007, the FBI reported that it had concluded that at least 14 of the 17 Iraqis who died in the square had been killed without cause. I interviewed Khalaf on Nov. 30, in a small conference room inside a hotel in Istanbul, Turkey. [28] Nicholas Slatten was found guilty of first-degree murder, and Slough, Liberty and Heard were found guilty of voluntary and attempted manslaughter charges, and of using a machine gun to commit a violent crime. [101][102] The Iraqi Foreign Ministry urged the United States to reconsider, declaring the pardons "did not take into account the seriousness of the crime committed".[103]. Essentially, Prince wanted a "free-market version" of military training. [48] According to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice promised a "fair and transparent" investigation into the incident. US pardons Blackwater guards: An 'affront to justice' - UN experts

Doherty Obituary Woburn, Ma, Conwy Recycling Centre Booking, How To Put Your Real Estate License In Holding, Byram Middle School Principal, Cuisinart Wine Opener Troubleshooting, Articles R