LAT : Iraq contradicts U.S. on Blackwater shootings

Iraq contradicts U.S. on Blackwater shootings

It believes the American guards opened fire without reason and vows to prosecute them. But it also says the ban on the firm could be lifted.

By Ned Parker | Los Angeles Times Staff Writer | September 18, 2007

BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi government said today that its initial investigation had found that guards with the private security company Blackwater USA had fired without provocation on a Baghdad traffic circle, killing eight people and wounding 13.

The findings contradicted statements by the company and the U.S. State Department that the guards had come under small-arms fire during the incident Sunday.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali Dabbagh said that any Blackwater employee who broke the law would be brought to justice and that the virtual blanket immunity from prosecution the foreign security contractor had enjoyed in Iraq was a thing of the past.

"They should not have immunity for their mistakes," Dabbagh said. "If they have made a mistake, they should be subjected to the law."

However, Dabbagh said a ban imposed against Blackwater was only temporary and could be lifted once the Iraqi investigation was complete. The Interior Ministry said Monday that Blackwater's license to operate in Iraq had been permanently revoked.

The confrontation between the Americans and Iraq was shaping up to be a test case over the true powers of the Iraqi government when it comes to U.S. officials and their dependence on private security contractors, whom many Iraqis loathe after repeated episodes of wild shooting, reckless driving and abusive behavior.

Dabbagh said a car bomb had exploded Sunday but was not near the Nisoor traffic circle, where a Blackwater convoy responsible for protecting U.S. diplomats was passing through.

"The preliminary report shows that they used superior firepower unnecessarily," Dabbagh said. "And they were shooting from helicopters that were escorting those people."

The convoy opened fire when the car of a couple and their child failed to come to a complete stop, Dabbagh said.

"There was no efficient brake system in the car. The car was slowing down but not stopping. They suspected them and shot and killed the couple and their small child," Dabbagh said.

Blackwater and the State Department have insisted that the security team was attacked, but details were still emerging.

Dabbagh said the government would overhaul the legal framework set up in 2004 that shields private security contractors from Iraqi courts. Dabbagh warned that Iraq would do this on its own and without the input of the U.S. or other governments. "We don't need to talk to anyone else," he said.

However, U.S. officials said they were working in close coordination with the Iraqi government on how to handle the Blackwater matter.

"We are pursuing discussions with the Iraqi government at the highest levels. Part of the discussions is what structure and form the investigation will take," U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said. "We think it's going to take quite a bit of time."

Blackwater has been a key player in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The gruesome bombing and mutilation of four of its employees in March 2004 in Fallouja triggered two American military assaults on the Sunni Muslim city.

In other developments today, two car bombs and a roadside explosion struck east Baghdad, killing 15 people. The deadliest attack was a car bombing in the parking lot of the Health Ministry and Baghdad's main hospital complex, Medical City, which killed seven people and wounded 23, police said.

ned.parker@latimes.com

Times staff writers Said Rifai, Raheem Salman and Usama Redha contributed to this report.