NPR: Iraqi Report: Blackwater Convoy Was Not Ambushed

Iraqi Report: Blackwater Convoy Was Not Ambushed

The Iraqi Interior Ministry's preliminary report on a shooting involving security firm Blackwater USA, in which several Iraqis were killed, seems to contradict the company's account that their employees only fired after they were fired upon. According to The New York Times, the report, though unverified, says that Blackwater personnel "were not ambushed ... but instead fired at a car when it did not heed a policeman's call to stop, killing a couple and their infant."

The ministry also says 20 civilians were killed in the shooting, a higher number than was reported earlier.

The United States has suspended all land travel by diplomats and other civilian officials in Iraq outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone — a sign of just how much the shooting has increased tensions between the U.S. and the Iraqi government. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has called on the U.S. to replace Blackwater with another firm.

"This is what happens when government fails to act," writes Peter Singer, a security industry expert, on the Brookings Institution's Web site. According to Singer, The Associated Press reports, nearly a year after a law was passed that holds contracted employees to the same code of justice as military personnel, the Bush administration has not published guidance on how military lawyers should do that.

Laura Dickinson, a University of Connecticut law professor who has studied the use of private contractors on the battlefield, says to enforce the many laws that apply to contracted security firms, a single government office should monitor contracts and keep Congress informed.

12:06 PM ET | 09-19-2007 | permalink

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Top Ten New Rules for Blackwater in Iraq:

10. Never shoot into a crowd of less than five people.

9. Aim high. Try to miss children.

8. Black masks acceptable. White hoods unacceptable.

7, Never were name tags.

6. Be courteous. No profanity, spitting or cursing when dispersing pedestrians.

5. If anyone asks, say you are from Britain.

4. No more drinking while doing drive by shootings.

3. If anyone asks, never use the name Blackwater. Make up a name.

2. You are not allowed to use copyrighted Elvis music for video taping back round music.

And the Number One New Rule for Blackwater in Iraq:

1. No more video taping yourselves shooting civilians. Okay?

Sent by fred call | 2:09 PM ET | 09-19-2007

That's pretty funny F.C. Thanx for the laugh. But you forgot rule #11: No killing dogs just for the heck of it. That's the exclusive task of the Army and Marine Corps.

Sent by John R. Otten | 5:59 PM ET | 09-20-2007

Okay, John, I got to admit you caught me offguard. Which is not hard to do. Some days I have vertigo attacks just because I'm bored with life. I must have missed something about the army and marines taking particular joy out of killing dogs.

In Vietnam, dog was a delicacy. To the Vietnamese. To eat. It was a cultural thing. For us guys, it was kind of a habit to adopt a dog. Even though it was against regulation. You know, kind of tuck a little puppy inside your fatigue jacket. You had a little pal to keep you warm at night. And, ya know, after a couple of months in the field, with nothing to look at but the Playboy centerfold, a little puppy licking your nose was kind of....well, refreshing.

But that was Vietnam. I had absolutely no idea that our guys in Iraq were shooting dogs indiscriminately. I tell ya, if I saw a soldier shooting a dog, we'd have some words said between us. And they wouldn't be in no Arabic, neither. They'd be barroom words.

fred call

Sent by fred call | 6:20 PM ET | 09-20-2007

Wounded war dogs treated as soldiers
By JEFF DONN
The Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO ??? When he came to, the Marine's arm hung limply. It was broken by ball bearings hurled from a suicide bomb. Yet Brendan Poelaert's thoughts quickly turned to his patrol dog.

The powerful Belgian Malinois named Flapoor had served him as partner and protector for the past four months in Iraq. Now, the dog staggered a few steps along the Ramadi street, then stared blankly. Blood poured from his chest.

"I didn't care about my injuries, my arm," his handler says. "I'm telling the medic, 'I got to get my dog to the vet!' "

On the day of the Ramadi blast in January 2006, Poelaert, trained in veterinary first aid, began care as soon as both were loaded into an SUV. He pressed his finger to his dog's chest to stop him from bleeding to death. When they reached the base camp, a medic with veterinary training took over, starting Flapoor on an IV. Poelaert departed reluctantly for his own surgery.

Sent by dans | 6:59 PM ET | 09-20-2007

I was referring to two separate reports of US soldiers in Iraq who were allegedly involved in killing dogs. In one it seemed like a sport for them to kill strays by running them over. In the other, it was an incident where a soldier killed a dog but his comrades were upset with him for doing it. So I'm not saying that all US soldiers like to kill dogs or anything like that. I was just riffing off of your joke because I thought it was funny. Nothing more.

Sent by John R. Otten | 2:59 PM ET | 09-21-2007

Okay, John. Now I understand. When it comes to someone running over a dog for sport, that's about where I draw the line.

Now, in Vietnam, one of the guys had a talking parrot. And we had this other guy who talked with a stutter. That parrot took to imitating the stutterer. Drove him to total distraction, that parrot kept picking on him. The stutterer was going to shot the parrot. We couldn't have that.

So, finally we decided that the stutterer and the parrot have an arm wrestling match. Wouldn't you know it. The parrot beat the stutterer. The parrot figured after that that he could just go on irritating the stutterer to no end.

Well, it was the stutterer's last day in Nam. He was going back to the world the next day. And as he was leaving base camp, last thing he did was shoot the parrot.

The parrot's owner was out in the field when he shot the bird. It was a good thing the stutterer left for home. Cause when the parrot's owner got back to camp and saw his dead parrot, there was going to be a gunfight in camp and some slow walking up the hill that night.

No, sir. Save your ammunition for the enemy that's shooting at you.

fred call

Sent by fred call | 3:42 PM ET | 09-21-2007

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