Blackwaters brutalities in Iraq

ISLAMABAD - The lucrative and secretive contracts awarded to Blackwater by Washington to assist the organisation in pursuit of US expansionistic designs might serve as an eye-opener for many, though an 'extensive campaign on part of Islamabad is underway to negate the presence of this notorious outfit.
Investigations conducted by this newspaper based on the published matter available with different sections of press show that US government was all bent to oblige Blackwater by awarding contracts worth millions of dollars. In addition, the atrocities carried out by the notorious organisation in Iraq are yet another episode of brutality and inhumanity.
A prominent Western media organisation reports that Blackwater was awarded a remunerative contract that aimed at extending protection to US diplomats in Iraq where US has its largest embassy. It is reported that around 100,000 security contractors work in Iraq.
Justifying the particular contract given to Blackwater in Iraq that worth up to $500 million, American Envoy to Iraq Ryan Crocker recorded before US Senate, There is simply no way at all that the State Departments Bureau of Diplomatic Security could ever have enough full-time personnel to staff the security function in Iraq. There is no alternative except through contracts.
A foreign-based journalist currently residing in Islamabad who had closely monitored the activities of Blackwater during his extensive stay in the Middle East, is of the view that Blackwater stands as largest security contractor of the United States, while an American website reports that Blackwater is currently the largest of the US State Departments three private security contractors. Ninety percent of the companys revenue comes from government contracts, of which two-thirds are no-bid contracts, it says.
Xe provided security services in Iraq to the United States federal government, particularly the Central Intelligence Agency on a contractual basis. They no longer have a license to operate in Iraq: the new Iraqi government made multiple attempts to expel them from their country, and denied their application for an operating license in January 2009. However, the company is still under contract with the State Department and some Xe personnel are working illegally in Iraq at least until September 2009, it is further reported.
It needs to be recalled here that Blackwater in July 2008 transferred its funds from security sector to other fields on account of grave threats posed to the organisation. Commenting on this shift, Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, had said while talking to an American news agency, The experience weve had would certainly be a disincentive to any other companies that want to step in and put their entire business at risk. Another news agency reported, For work in Iraq, Xe has drawn contractors from their international pool of professionals, a database containing 21,000 former Special Forces operatives, soldiers, and retired law enforcement agents, between 2005 and September 2007, Blackwater security staff were involved in 195 shooting incidents; in 163 of those cases, Blackwater personnel fired first. 25 members of staff have been fired for violations of Xes drug and alcohol policy and 28 more for weapons-related incidents.
European Parliament had published a report based on the investigations of Italian parliamentarian, Giovanni Claudio Fava, exposing contacts between Blackwater and Malta. Claudios investigations had sparked ripples in the US government circles, for the parliamentarian had alleged that two American subcontractors were involved in covert operations in Malta. In addition, Claudio had termed Malta as one of Blackwaters primary operational bases, and the covert operations were conducted upon the orders of Cofer Black, Blackwaters Vice President.
Interestingly, the top management of Blackwater had publicly confessed that it had to change Blackwaters name on account of enormous criticism it was facing owing to the misadventures the covert organisation had conducted in Iraq. On numerous occasions, Blackwaters President Gary Jackson is reported to have said that Blackwaters changed name reflects the change in company focus away from the business of providing private security.
An American website posted, A spokesman for the company stated that it feels the name Blackwater is too closely associated with the companys work in the occupation of Iraq. Spokeswoman, Anne Tyrrell, said there was no meaning in the new name, which the company took over a year to arrive at in an internal search.
As a result of the hatred that Blackwater had provoked among the people of Iraq, three civilians had gunned down four Blackwater Security Consulting (BSC) near Najaf in 2004. Soon after, Blackwater was paid more than $320 million as compensation by US State Department.
Apart from that, the available data shows that Blackwater has killed over 700 Iraqis including women and children from January 2003 to September 2009. On numerous occasions, human rights organisations have demanded a detailed probe into Blackwaters killings in Iraq but all such demands have been given a deaf ear by US government. Killings of the private guards of Iraqi Vice President, Adil Abdul Mehdi, on the eve of Christmas in 2006, assassination of seven employees of Iraqi media network, and massacre at Nisoor Square Baghdad that claimed 17 innocent lives are some of the smouldering tales of bloodshed on part of Blackwater in Iraq.