Soldiers: Blackwater guards fired at fleeing cars | First U.S. troops on scene found no evidence of shooting by Iraqis | By Sudarsan Raghavan and Josh White
BAGHDAD, Oct. 11 - Blackwater USA guards shot at Iraqi civilians as they tried to drive away from a Baghdad square on Sept. 16, according to a report compiled by the first U.S. soldiers to arrive at the scene, where they found no evidence that Iraqis had fired weapons.
"It appeared to me they were fleeing the scene when they were engaged. It had every indication of an excessive shooting," said Lt. Col. Mike Tarsa, whose soldiers reached Nisoor Square 20 to 25 minutes after the gunfire subsided.
His soldiers' report -- based upon their observations at the scene, eyewitness interviews and discussions with Iraqi police -- concluded that there was "no enemy activity involved" and described the shootings as a "criminal event." Their conclusions mirrored those reached by the Iraqi government, which has said the Blackwater guards killed 17 people. ...
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
"A vehicle got close to them and they opened fire on it randomly as if they were in the middle of a confrontation. You won't find a head.
Security Guards Open Fire in Iraq; Two Women Dead | Five Bombings Kill at Least 34 | By Joshua Partlow and Howard Schneider | Washington Post Foreign Service | Tuesday, October 9, 2007; 12:42 PM
BAGHDAD, Oct. 9 -- Two women were killed in central Baghdad on Tuesday, Iraqi police said, apparently when a private security company opened fire on their car after it approached a convoy they were guarding.
..
But amid controversy about the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqis last month by the Blackwater security firm, the new shootings are likely to heighten tension surrounding the thousands of armed security guards used by private companies and U.S. government agencies in Iraq.
The Iraqi government has called on the U.S. government to fire Blackwater from its job guarding State Department employees in the country. On Tuesday, the government demanded the firm pay the families of the 17 victims $8 million each.
...
The women's white Oldsmobile, riddled with bullets across the hood and window, was seen by a Washington Post reporter outside the Karrada police station after the shooting.
Relatives of the victims who gathered at Karrada identified the two slain women as Armenian Orthodox Christians living in Baghdad. The driver, Marony O'Hanis, was born in 1958, and the front-seat passenger was Geneva Jalal Entranic, who was born in 1977, relatives said.
There was at least one other woman in the back seat, and several people at the scene said she was also injured. Witnesses differed on whether the fourth person in the car was a man or a woman.
Iraqi police and shopkeepers near the scene of the shooting said O'Hanis's Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera approached the convoy of SUVs from behind. One shopkeeper said guards in the last SUV fired a warning shot, some type of flare, then sprayed machine gun fire into the hood and windshield.
"A vehicle got close to them and they opened fire on it randomly as if they were in the middle of a confrontation. You won't find a head. The brain is scattered on the ground," said Ahmed Kadhim Hussein, a policeman at the scene. "I am shaking as I am trying to describe to you what happened. We are not able to eat. These were innocent people. Is it so natural for them to shoot innocent people?" ...
BAGHDAD, Oct. 9 -- Two women were killed in central Baghdad on Tuesday, Iraqi police said, apparently when a private security company opened fire on their car after it approached a convoy they were guarding.
..
But amid controversy about the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqis last month by the Blackwater security firm, the new shootings are likely to heighten tension surrounding the thousands of armed security guards used by private companies and U.S. government agencies in Iraq.
The Iraqi government has called on the U.S. government to fire Blackwater from its job guarding State Department employees in the country. On Tuesday, the government demanded the firm pay the families of the 17 victims $8 million each.
...
The women's white Oldsmobile, riddled with bullets across the hood and window, was seen by a Washington Post reporter outside the Karrada police station after the shooting.
Relatives of the victims who gathered at Karrada identified the two slain women as Armenian Orthodox Christians living in Baghdad. The driver, Marony O'Hanis, was born in 1958, and the front-seat passenger was Geneva Jalal Entranic, who was born in 1977, relatives said.
There was at least one other woman in the back seat, and several people at the scene said she was also injured. Witnesses differed on whether the fourth person in the car was a man or a woman.
Iraqi police and shopkeepers near the scene of the shooting said O'Hanis's Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera approached the convoy of SUVs from behind. One shopkeeper said guards in the last SUV fired a warning shot, some type of flare, then sprayed machine gun fire into the hood and windshield.
"A vehicle got close to them and they opened fire on it randomly as if they were in the middle of a confrontation. You won't find a head. The brain is scattered on the ground," said Ahmed Kadhim Hussein, a policeman at the scene. "I am shaking as I am trying to describe to you what happened. We are not able to eat. These were innocent people. Is it so natural for them to shoot innocent people?" ...
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Out of control 'private' contractors terrorize Iraq: Mr. Ahmed's father later counted 40 bullet holes in the car
October 5, 2007 | The Blackwater Massacre | Out of control 'private' contractors terrorize Iraq
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Instead, four armored vehicles manned by "private" guards employed by Blackwater USA moved into position and fired: Ahmed was hit, but the car continued on its path, out of control. When the smoke cleared, and the casualties counted, 17 Iraqis were dead and 24 wounded. The Washington Post cites one anonymous high-ranking U.S. official as saying:
"This is a nightmare. We had guys who saw the aftermath, and it was very bad. This is going to hurt us badly. It may be worse than Abu Ghraib, and it comes at a time when we're trying to have an impact for the long term."
...
Bystanders rushed to help, but the Blackwater guards didn't let them:
"Then Blackwater guards opened fire with a barrage of bullets, according to the police and numerous witnesses. Mr. Ahmed's father later counted 40 bullet holes in the car. His mother, Mohassin Kadhim, appears to have been shot to death as she cradled her son in her arms. Moments later the car caught fire after the Blackwater guards fired a type of grenade into the vehicle." ...
...
Instead, four armored vehicles manned by "private" guards employed by Blackwater USA moved into position and fired: Ahmed was hit, but the car continued on its path, out of control. When the smoke cleared, and the casualties counted, 17 Iraqis were dead and 24 wounded. The Washington Post cites one anonymous high-ranking U.S. official as saying:
"This is a nightmare. We had guys who saw the aftermath, and it was very bad. This is going to hurt us badly. It may be worse than Abu Ghraib, and it comes at a time when we're trying to have an impact for the long term."
...
Bystanders rushed to help, but the Blackwater guards didn't let them:
"Then Blackwater guards opened fire with a barrage of bullets, according to the police and numerous witnesses. Mr. Ahmed's father later counted 40 bullet holes in the car. His mother, Mohassin Kadhim, appears to have been shot to death as she cradled her son in her arms. Moments later the car caught fire after the Blackwater guards fired a type of grenade into the vehicle." ...
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