The September 16 shooting incident involving the private
security firm Blackwater USA has stirred anger in Iraq and an
uproar in the United States.
According to a report by the Washington Post on Friday,
even US military reports indicated that Blackwater guards opened
fire without provocation and used excessive force against Iraqi
civilians.
Immediately after the killing incident, the Iraqi Interior
Ministry launched an investigation and asserted that Blackwater
security guards were at fault in the incident in Nisoor Square in
western Baghdad, where at least 11 Iraqi civilians were killed.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki went as far as saying that
the shooting amounted to a challenge to Iraq's sovereignty and the
security firm should leave the country, although the Iraqi
government later backed off its pledge to ban the private security
firm.
The shooting incident also stirred an uproar back in the US as
the House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday to make all
private security contractors in Iraq and other combat zones subject
to prosecution by US courts.
The bill was overwhelmingly passed by a vote of 389 to 30 as the
first major legislation of its kind to be approved since the deadly
shootout took place.
US military official was quoted as saying that "The (Iraqi)
civilians that were fired upon, they didn't have any weapons to
fire back at them. And none of the IP (Iraqi Police) or any of the
local security forces fired back at them."
"They (Blackwater guards) tend to overreact to a lot of things.
They maneuver around town very aggressively, they've got weapons
pointed at people ... When it comes to shooting and firing, they
tend to shoot quicker than others," the official said.
Under pressure, the US State Department said Friday it would
send its own personnel as monitors on all Blackwater security
convoys in and around Baghdad, and would also install video cameras
in Blackwater armored vehicles to produce a record of all
operations that could be used in investigations of the use of force
by private security contractors.
However, the House bill faces an uncertain future as the White
House has signaled unhappiness with it and President George W. Bush
may not sign it to become law. What is more, it remains unclear
whether the State Department has the will to effectively monitor
the often arrogant security guards.
There have been calls from the Congress to bring those
responsible in the shooting incident to justice.
"The secretary still needs to address the essential question of
accountability: How will rogue individuals who commit criminal acts
be brought to justice?" Rep. David Price, who sponsored the bill,
said in a statement.
According to a report by the New York Times on Friday, it would
be extremely unlikely and difficult to prosecute the Blackwater
security guards even if the bill was adopted.
Shortly after the occupation of Iraq in 2003, the American
administrator, Paul Bremer, issued a decree granting immunity to
American military and civilian personnel, including private
security guards, from criminal prosecution in Iraqi courts and the
decree is still effective even as the Iraqi government has taken
over authority from the US.
As a result, Iraqi courts would be powerless to prosecute the
security guards, and it is also highly unlikely for American
prosecutors to conduct extensive investigations under dangerous
circumstances in Iraq, and bring evidence and witnesses back to the
US, the New York Times report said.
Therefore, it is highly likely that the Blackwater security
guards will remain free in Iraq.
Observers pointed out that after the Iraq war, the US has been
suffering from a severe image crisis in Iraq as sandals concerning
US troops were exposed one after another. However, the US has been
slow or reluctant to prosecute those involved in the scandals.
They added that if the US government maintains the criminal
immunity the Americans enjoy in Iraq and fails to bring those
responsible to justice, its reputation in Iraq will continue to get
worse.
(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2007)
