Most killings of Iraqi civilians by Blackwater security guards
on Sept. 16 were unjustified and violated deadly-force rules for
security contractors in Iraq, The New York Times
reported on Wednesday.
Citing findings by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),
the newspaper said that only three of the 17 killings may have been
justified under rules that allow lethal force in response to an
imminent threat.
FBI investigators found no evidence to support assertions by
Blackwater employees that they were fired upon by Iraqi civilians,
which sharply contradicts initial assertions by Blackwater
officials, who said that company employees fired in self-defense
and that three company vehicles were damaged by gunfire, said the
report.
A separate military investigation of the Sept. 16 shootings in
Baghdad concluded that all of the killings were unjustified and
potentially criminal.
On The New York Times report, Blackwater spokeswoman Anne
E. Tyrrell said "if it is determined that one person was complicit
in the wrongdoing, we would support accountability in that."
FBI investigation is still under way, but the findings are
already under review by the Justice Department.
According to the report, prosecutors have yet to decide whether
to seek indictments, but some officials have expressed pessimism
that there are no adequate criminal laws to enable them to charge
any Blackwater employee with criminal wrongdoing.
(Xinhua News Agency November 15, 2007)
