Seattle PI : Contractor shooting incidents on Iraqis

Contractor shooting incidents on Iraqis

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | September 17, 2007

A look at some of the incidents involving private contractors firing on Iraqi civilians:

- September 2007: Contractors believed to be working for North Carolina-based security firm Blackwater USA kill eight Iraqi civilians and wound 13 in a firefight after a bombing near a State Department motorcade in Baghdad. The Iraqi government says it is revoking the firm's license.

- May 2007: A Blackwater employee fatally shoots an Iraqi civilian deemed to be driving too close to a company security detail. A company spokeswoman says that based on incident reports and witness accounts, the employee acted lawfully and appropriately.

- December 2006: A drunken Blackwater employee fatally shoots a bodyguard for Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi, Iraqi and U.S. officials say. The incident is under investigation.

- 2006-2007: Two employees of Virginia-based Triple Canopy accuse their supervisor of shooting at Iraqi civilians for amusement after saying he was "going to kill somebody today." The company fires all three employees for failing to immediately report incidents involving gunfire.

- 2005-2006: Former employees of Custer Battles, a Rhode Island-based firm, accuse co-workers of firing indiscriminately at civilians and crushing a car filled with Iraqi children and adults while trying to make their way through a traffic jam. The company denies the accusations.

- December 2005: Employees of London-based Aegis Defense Services post videos on the Internet showing company guards firing at Iraqi civilians from a moving vehicle. Aegis says the shootings were within protocols allowing guards to fire on vehicles that approach too close or too quickly. U.S. Army auditors agree with Aegis.

- May 2005: Sixteen American security guards employed by North Carolina-based Zapata Engineering are jailed by Marines in Fallujah after they allegedly fired on U.S. forces and Iraqi civilians. The guards are released after three days and sent back to the U.S. None are charged.