Iraq shootout firm loses licence

The BBC reports:

Iraq has cancelled the licence of the private security firm, Blackwater USA, after it was involved in a gunfight in which at least eight civilians died.

The Iraqi interior ministry said the contractor, based in North Carolina, was now banned from operating in Iraq.

It would appear that it’s not just the US Army who are trigger happy (and have been involved in numerous friendly fire cases, but refuse to liase with British authorities); US private security firms are also joining in and shooting down whoever they feel like.

The Blackwater security guards “opened fire randomly at citizens” after mortars landed near their vehicles, killing eight people and wounding 13 others, interior ministry officials said.

Most of the dead and wounded were bystanders, the officials added. One of those killed was a policeman.

The comment from a spokeswoman for the US embassy in Baghdad is pathetic:

“We are taking it very seriously indeed,” she told the BBC, adding that discussions were still taking place about Blackwater’s status now that they had been ordered to leave.

Can’t expect much more from Condoleeza Rice either:

A spokesman for the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said she wanted to ensure that everything was being done to avoid the loss of innocent life and to make sure this kind of incident never happened again.

If Condie really cared about the loss of innocent life, then she wouldn’t be such a staunch support of the Iraq war until this day.

She is also expected to telephone Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki to reassure him that the US had launched its own investigation.

I’d be surprised if US authorities find Blackwater guilty of anything, especially considering that the firm has a reputed $300m contract with the state department.