An Iraqi report into the Blackwater shootings has called the incident "pre-mediated murder" and a call of $8 million compensation per victim has been made.
The report is due to be presented to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government for review soon. 17 people died and 27 other citizens were killed after the private contractors opened fire after, it's reported, no provocation in Nusorr Square, West Baghdad.
Tell The Truthiness ; Lets make sure justice comes to those responsible for this.
2 comments:
We can only hope. It appears the Bush Administration and the Republicans in Congress are determined to make sure nothing happens to Blackwater. We can't have them lose their precious contracts.
Let alone just holding those who did this responsible.
Not winning hearts and minds.
Did you read the article by Janessa Gans titled I Survived Blackwater?
here are parts of it
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As a U.S. official in Baghdad for nearly two years, I was frequently the "beneficiary" of Blackwater's over-the-top zeal. "Just pretend it's a roller coaster," I used to tell myself during trips through downtown Baghdad.
We would careen around corners, jump road dividers, reach speeds in excess of 100 mph and often cross over to the wrong side of the street, oncoming traffic be damned.
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As we approached at typical breakneck speed, the Blackwater driver honked furiously and motioned to the side, as if they should pull over. The kids in the back seat looked back in horror, mouths agape at the sight of the heavily armored Suburbans driven by large, armed men in dark sunglasses. The poor Iraqi driver frantically searched for a means of escape, but there was none. So the lead Blackwater vehicle smashed heedlessly into the car, pushing it into the barrier. We zoomed by too quickly to notice if anyone was hurt.
Until that point I had never mentioned anything to my drivers about their tactics, but this time I could not contain myself.
"Where do you all expect them to go?" I shrieked. "It was an old guy and a family, for goodness' sake. Was it necessary for them to destroy their poor old car?"
My driver responded impassively: "Ma'am, we've been trained to view anyone as a potential threat. You don't know who they might use as decoys or what the risks are. Terrorists could be disguised as anyone."
"Well, if they weren't terrorists before, they certainly are now!" I retorted. Sulking in my seat, I was stunned by the driver's indifference.
If someone in the Bush administration came out and admitted a lot of money has been made by many different companies in Iraq since 2003, it'd be interesting to see how the mainstream media would have to act surprised for not reporting it for the past four years.
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