Terminated: Blackwater dries up in Iraq

Blood on their hands: Blackwater hung these men out to dry. And then to burn.

BAGHDAD — The American security firm once known as Blackwater ended its operations in the diplomatic hub of Baghdad on Thursday, bringing to a close a bitter chapter in U.S.-Iraqi relations that began with a deadly shooting by its contractors.

Iraqis welcomed the departure from the capital of the company, which has protected American diplomats in Iraq since the start of the war in 2003. The company, which has changed its name to Xe, will continue to have guards in some southern areas and to run its aviation service and through September.

The end of the firm’s Baghdad operations comes nearly two years after the Iraqi government first demanded it leave after the September 2007 shooting on a busy square in central Baghdad that left as many as 17 Iraqi civilians dead.

It was small consolation for Iraqis. “As far as I’m concerned this decision should have been taken years ago. Any security firm in Iraq should have used Iraqi personnel so that they could help them know Iraqi culture,” Baghdad resident Jabar Farhan said.

Blackwater is the satanic, bastard step-child of the military-industrial complex that Ike warned us about. So beware, fully militarized privately-owned armies are the future of warfare. And just remember to stay out of their way.–BEREZ

               
Posted Under: Blackwater, Iraq, Pentagon
This post was written by BerezObama on May 7, 2009 Comments (0)