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Security Firm Blackwater Under Scrutiny The shooting deaths of Iraqi civilians in Baghdad have prompted anger at Blackwater USA and drawn new attention to the role of private security contractors in Iraq. The Iraqi government threatens to expel the company, and U.S. lawmakers are considering more stringent oversight.
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Security Firm Blackwater Under Scrutiny

Civilian deaths draw new attention to the role of Blackwater and other security contractors in Iraq.

Iraq Victims, Witness Recount Blackwater Shooting

Last September, 17 Iraqis died in a controversial shooting involving the security firm Blackwater USA. Several Iraqis involved in the incident have sued in U.S. courts. They recall that day in videotaped testimonies, and their accounts differ from Blackwater's.

Iraq Victims, Witness Recount Blackwater Shooting

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Justice Department Grapples with Blackwater Case

From the moment the Blackwater shooting scandal broke, legal experts have debated whether U.S. civilian contractors can stand trial for crimes that they are alleged to have committed in Iraq. Now the Justice Department is examining U.S. laws and how they might apply to the incident.

Justice Department Grapples with Blackwater Case

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Iraqis Say U.S. Guards Used Drugs, Defied Orders

Some Iraqi civilians have filed a civil lawsuit against the Blackwater guards involved in a September shooting in a Baghdad traffic circle. The suit claims that Blackwater personnel were in the traffic circle against the instructions of their dispatcher, and that they had improperly taken steroids.

Iraqis Say U.S. Guards Used Drugs, Defied Orders

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Top Federal Inspector's Blackwater Ties Scrutinized

The State Department's top inspector on Wednesday recused himself from investigations into matters involving Blackwater Worldwide. Howard Krongard made the move after learning in a congressional hearing that his brother is a member of the security contractor's advisory board.

Top Federal Inspector's Blackwater Ties Scrutinized

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FBI Finds Blackwater in Violation, Report Says

An FBI investigation has found that employees of Blackwater USA violated rules governing the use of deadly force in a September shooting incident that killed at least 17 Iraqis. That's according to a report in The New York Times.

FBI Finds Blackwater in Violation, Report Says

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Report: FBI Finds Blackwater Shootings Unjustified

Federal investigators find that Blackwater Worldwide guards were unjustified in the shooting deaths of 14 Iraqi civilians and violated rules governing the use of deadly force, according to a report in Wednesday's New York Times.

'New York Times' correspondent John M. Broder on 'Day to Day'

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FBI Continues Blackwater Shooting Investigation

The FBI is investigating the weeks-old shooting incident in Iraq involving Blackwater contractors. Investigators have just returned from Iraq, where they interviewed witnesses who were at the Baghdad square when the shooting occurred. The agency has also transported to its crime lab in Virginia a number of shot-out Iraqi cars involved in the incident.

FBI Continues Blackwater Shooting Investigation

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Blackwater Guards Given Immunity in Iraq Shooting

State Department investigators offer immunity to Blackwater USA security guards for their testimony about a shooting in Iraq that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead. But the immunity offer could jeopardize efforts to prosecute employees involved in the shooting.

Blackwater Guards Given Immunity in Iraq Shooting

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Private Contracting Industry Set for Regulation

Efforts are under way to regulate the private-contracting industry used by the U.S. government in Iraq and elsewhere. The move comes after mismanagement of contractors in Iraq, including Blackwater USA.

Private Contracting Industry Set for Regulation

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Rice Orders New Oversight for Contractors

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has ordered improved government oversight of independent contractors. The new measures would affect companies, such as Blackwater USA, that protect U.S. diplomats in Iraq.

Rice Orders New Oversight for Contractors

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Prince: Too Soon to Judge Blackwater

Erik Prince, founder and CEO of Blackwater Worldwide, says that evidence suggests security contractors working for his firm did indeed come under attack during a Sept. 16 shooting incident in Baghdad that resulted in the deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians.

Prince: Too Soon to Judge Blackwater

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U.S. Mulls Iraqi Demand to Expel Blackwater

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad considers the Iraqi government's demand that Blackwater USA be expelled from the country within six months. Iraqi investigators say Blackwater opened fire without provocation in a Baghdad square, killing 17 Iraqi civilians. The FBI has launched its own investigation.

U.S. Mulls Iraqi Demand to Expel Blackwater

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Iraqis Launch Legal Attack Against Blackwater

Private security firm Blackwater USA is being sued by family members and a survivor of a shooting incident last month in Baghdad. Scott Horton, a professor at Columbia Law School, talk about the lawsuit and legal precedents that could affect its outcome.

Iraqis Launch Legal Attack Against Blackwater

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Blackwater's San Diego-Area Plan Spurs Protest

Blackwater USA wants to build a 200-acre training facility in San Diego's backcountry, but growing controversy over the private security contractors' operations in Iraq might hurt the project's prospects for approval. Bitter divisions are emerging in the small community of Potrero.

Blackwater's San Diego-Area Plan Spurs Protest

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Iraqi Officials: Blackwater Shootings Deliberate

The Iraqi prime minister's office over the weekend said an initial investigation concludes that Blackwater USA contractors "deliberately killed" 17 civilians, although U.S. and Iraqi officials are reportedly working on a joint investigation into the Sept. 16 shooting.

Iraqi Officials: Blackwater Shootings Deliberate

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New Oversight for Blackwater: Too Little, Too Late?

The U.S. has ordered new measures to improve the oversight of Blackwater USA, the security contractor working in Iraq, but some say the measures are too little too late. Blackwater security guards are accused of opening fire on Iraqi civilians in a deadly incident last month.

New Oversight for Blackwater: Too Little, Too Late?

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Latest Incident Turns Attention to Blackwater's Past

Last month's shooting incident in Baghdad involving employees of Blackwater USA has spurred interest in other incidents involving the private security contractor. Employee Andrew Moonen was accused of killing a bodyguard assigned to an Iraqi vice president. He was fired but has not been prosecuted for the killing.

Latest Incident Turns Attention to Blackwater's Past

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Blackwater's Version of Iraq Attack Disputed

Employees of the private security firm Blackwater USA are accused in the unprovoked shootings of Iraqi civilians in September. James Glanz, New York Times Baghdad bureau chief, says witnesses and Iraqi investigators dispute Blackwater's version of events.

Blackwater's Version of Iraq Attack Disputed

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Opinion

Private Contractors Vital for War

Sarah Percy, professor of International Relations at Oxford University in England, discusses the kinds of services provided by private security companies like Blackwater USA, and how their rules regarding the use of force apply.

Hear Sarah Percy, professor of International Relations at Oxford University in England

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Blackwater CEO Defends Workers in Iraq

Erik Prince, founder and CEO of Blackwater USA, defends his private security firm against allegations that contractors in Iraq have been involved in several incidents resulting in civilian casualties.

Blackwater CEO Defends Workers in Iraq

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Blackwater Founder to Testify on Hill

Erik Prince, the founder and chairman of private security firm Blackwater USA, is due to testify before Congress. He will respond to a report describing the company as irresponsible and trigger-happy.

Hear Jackie Northam's story about the Congressional hearing involving Blackwater USA on Morning Edition

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