Pentagon Renews Blackwater Contract in Iraq

The US State Department has renewed Backwater's contract in Iraq for another year. The private security company is accused of opening fire and killing 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad last September – and an investigation by the Pentagon itself says that Backwater operatives killed all 17 Iraqis in an unprovoked shooting. Iraq's Prime Minister, Nuri al-Malaki, was not consulted about the Baackwater contract renewal, and is dismayed at the decision – saying the private contractor has yet to answer for the massacre. Hiba Dawood reports.

Extending Blackwater's contract for another year is seen by some Iraqis
as condoning violence on civilians and could result in attacks against U.S. forces and other U.S. personnel including contractors.

Maha Adil is one such person. A resident of Adhamiya and a professor at the College of Political Sciences in Baghdad, Adil says that she is disturbed by this latest news about Blackwater.

"The staff of this company has killed so many Iraqis and with the agreement of the U.S., they were not held accountable. The Iraqi government can do nothing because the renewal is a U.S. decision. The people of Iraq are pained by the decision because it gives the appearance that their blood is cheap. Renewing Blackwater's contract is humiliating and it devalues the Iraqi people. This means they are given more contracts to kill us and we should keep silent.

The Iraqi government demanded an investigation into the September 2007 killing of 17 Iraqi civilians by Blackwater guards, and called for an end to Blackwater's operationS in Iraq. An investigation is being conducted by the FBI, but multimillion-dolar contracts have been renewed for another year beginning in May.

Bassim Shareef is an Iraqi member of parliament. He says it is the Iraqi government's responsibility to make a strong statement as the executive authority in Iraq.

"This is against the law of Iraq and its sovereignty. The problem has to be solved before they are allowed to come back. We need a detailed report from the government on the procedure taken against the company. This is our problem in Iraq; there are no reports on many serious matters that take place."

Thus, the Iraqi government had no role in renewing Blackwater's contracts.

Reports say that after the inclident, the State Department changed some elements of the contract. -Particularly those related to rules of engagement which will be "tightened". Cameras will be put on all convoy vehicles and a diplomatic security officer will join each convoy.

A report from the United Nations in October of 2007 said that the use of contractors such as Blackwater is a new form of mercenary activity and illegal under International Law. Although the FBI started investigating with 30 eye-witnesses in November 2007, there still hasn't been any concrete resolution from the inquiry. From its side, the U.S. State Department made an agreement with the Pentagon to allow military control over Blackwater and other security companies' operations. This is Hiba Dawood For FSRN.

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