It’s interesting the various reactions of contractors on all the other forums out there. Seeing how a lot of contractors are former cops, you get a unique perspective on all of this.
The things I hear is that the Target Letter is used as a scare tactic to get these guys to talk.
That most feel like these guys are getting a raw deal and that Iraq is still a war zone and Murphy’s Law still applies–go figure?
The other thing I am hearing is that this might backfire on DOJ. Meaning, you get these guys on the witness stand, and that means you have to put DOS on the witness stand and any other clients (Do you think Condi Rice wants to be on the stand?)
And God forbid if this case gets thrown out because they can’t find shell casings, and they cannot find enough witnesses or evidence to support the case. That they did not secure the crime scene (because it is an active war zone), nor did they properly question witnesses (who might be insurgents), nor can they trust these witnesses because of possible connections with the insurgents. And you know the Blackwater employee lawyers are going to talk about everything, meaning how involved DOS is with the process and how much of an asset Blackwater has been.
It could go either way for them, and we’ll see how far this goes. I feel for the guys that are having to go through this, and this is certainly a cautionary tale for the rest of us working in this industry.
My assessment is that I wasn’t there, nor am I going to judge. I do know that stuff happens quick in those situations, that all of these guys that were working for Blackwater and DOS were trained to a certain standard, that they are all prior military, and they had to have clearances in order to play. These are not KBR bus drivers that Blackwater picked up in Green Zone to fill a slot(which I have seen done before with some of the other companies–unbelievable).
I give these guys more credit than that, and I will not jump on the bandwagon of throwing these brothers under the bus. Just like I didn’t jump on the Murtha Bandwagon of throwing the Marines under the bus about the Haditha deal. – Head Jundi
The VBIED blast that initiated the actions at Nisoor Square. (up top)The set up of vehicles and overhead view of the square.
Justice Dept. Moves Toward Charges Against Contractors in Iraq Shooting
By Del Quentin Wilber and Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, August 17, 2008; A01
Federal prosecutors have sent target letters to six Blackwater Worldwide security guards involved in a September shooting that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead, indicating a high likelihood the Justice Department will seek to indict at least some of the men, according to three sources close to the case.
The guards, all former U.S. military personnel, were working as security contractors for the State Department, assigned to protect U.S. diplomats and other non-military officials in Iraq. The shooting occurred when their convoy arrived at a busy square in central Baghdad and guards tried to stop traffic.
An Iraqi government investigation concluded that the security contractors fired without provocation. Blackwater has said its personnel acted in self-defense.
The sources said that any charges against the guards would likely be brought under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which has previously been used to prosecute only the cases referred to the Justice Department by the Defense Department for crimes committed by military personnel and contractors overseas. Legal experts have questioned whether contractors working for the State Department can be prosecuted under its provisions.
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