[47], The U.S. State Department said it planned to investigate what it called a "terrible incident". Trump's Blackwater Guard Pardons Cause Shock And Dismay : NPR Not only was the decision described as a "miscarriage of justice," but some U.N experts claimed that the pardons "violate U.S. obligations under international law and more broadly undermine humanitarian law and human rights at a global level," per Reuters. Adrienne Ballenger . None of the bullets the lab had available could be matched to the rifles used by the guards. One such incident is the Blackwater massacre, also known as the Nisour Square massacre. [41], On September 18, 2007, an Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman said Blackwater is "not allowed to operate anywhere in the Republic of Iraq". The Intercept reports that others who tried to run for cover were killed by machine gunfire. Ghasson Mahmood was a 55-year-old civil engineer. "Everyone loved him. The order did not say when the suspension would expire. There was also an incident on December 24, 2006, when Andrew Moonen, a Blackwater guard, murdered Raheem Khalaf Saadoon, a security guard for Adel Abdul Mahdi, the Iraqi vice president. However, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki urged the United States to end their contract with Blackwater. He also maintained that he wanted to limit and reduce the authority of all security contractors, not just Blackwater, Timereports. Now, left to deal with the aftermath are 16 grieving families, and those, like Hooby, still trying to recover from their wounds. [56], On April 1, 2011, the Associated Press reported on Erik Prince's seven-hour testimony about what allegedly transpired. [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. UN criticises Trump's pardons for Blackwater guards jailed over Iraq An Iraqi looks 24 September 2007, at a burnt car on the site where Blackwater guards who were escorting US embassy officials opened fire in the western Baghdad neighbourhood of Yarmukh, a shootout . Blackwater has made more than $1.5 billion in "security" contracts in Iraq alone since 2003. Other ways to share 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. [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. This decision was appealed by the Department of Justice and in 2011, the ruling was reversed. Blackwater guards were also known for their aggression. He watched, he said, as the Blackwater convoy made the U-turn toward the street where he stood directing traffic. FBI team leader: How I know the Blackwater defendants didn't - CNN In the last month of his term, U.S. President Donald Trump issued pardons to Slatten, Slough, Liberty, and Heard. In August 2019, Slatten was once more sentenced to life in prison without parole, Al Jazeera reports. [41] Senate Democratic leaders said they planned to pass similar legislation as soon as possible. [45] Also, it is not clear whether the license revocation is permanent. After the convictions, Blackwater which changed its name to Xe and then Academi after being sold said it was relieved that the justice system has completed its investigation into a tragedy that occurred at Nisour Square in 2007 and that any wrongdoing that was carried out has been addressed by our courts. But such legislation is only as good as the oversight and enforcement that accompany it. [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. Explained: Why Trump's pardon to Blackwater contractors is Instead, it appears as though the massacre was started by a single bullet fired by Nicholas Slatten, a Blackwater guard. Inspired by the true story of a crocodile attack in Australia's Northern Territory in December 2003, a . There needs to be a wholesale reform of the way security contractors and those that oversee their work do business. [37][38] The incident caused Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to call on the U.S. government to end its contract with Blackwater USA,[39] and for the Iraqi government to push for an apology, compensation for victims or their families and for the guards involved in the shooting to be held "accountable". Finally, around 5 p.m., he phoned his brother who worked at the hospital closest to Nissour Square. [54], Radio logs released in December 2008 seemed to affirm that the guards had been responding to an attack on September 16. The shooting then turned heavier, Khalaf said, his eyes red-brimmed and serious. Two helicopters circled overhead, each with a man strapped in and a machine gun sticking out. The aide also said that the Iraqi government was pushing for an apology, compensation for victims or their families and for the guards involved in the shooting to be held "accountable".
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