In the News

Prosecutors in Iraq Case See Pattern By Guards
New York Times - 9/14/2009

Afghan Embassy Scandal's Link to Cost-Cutting Security
TIME - 9/11/2009

C.I.A. Sought Blackwater's Help in Plan to Kill Jihadists
New York Times - 8/20/2009

Contractor Is Held In 2 Killings in Iraq
Washington Post - 8/10/2009
A British private security contractor was taken into custody by Iraqi authorities in Baghdad's Green Zone on Sunday after he fatally shot two colleagues, Iraqi officials said.

Blackwater Heir Wants to Keep State Dept. Security Contract
Washington Independent - 8/10/2009
Even as a wrongful-death lawsuit moves forward against the controversial private security company formerly known as Blackwater, the firm seeks to renew its contract with the State Department to guard diplomats when the deal expires next year. And the State Department shows no signs of ruling the company out of competition, despite a high-profile incident in 2007 that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead.

Briton, Australian Killed In Iraq Shooting
Reuters - 8/9/2009
A British security contractor has been arrested after another Briton and an Australian were shot dead early on Sunday, Iraq's Interior Ministry said, adding that an Iraqi translator was also wounded.

Briton in Iraqi Custody After Contractor Killings
AP - 8/9/2009
Iraqi authorities arrested a British contractor Sunday over the shooting deaths of two co-workers in Baghdad's protected Green Zone. The suspected gunman could be the first Westerner to face an Iraqi trial on murder charges since a security pact lifted the immunity that had been enjoyed by foreign contractors for most of the war.

Congresswoman: U.S. ties with Xe, formerly Blackwater, must end
CNN - 8/8/2009
A member of Congress Friday called on the State Department to stop doing business with Xe, the North Carolina-based security company formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide.

US Still Paying Blackwater Millions
The Nation - 8/7/2009
Just days before two former Blackwater employees alleged in sworn statements filed in federal court that the company's owner, Erik Prince, "views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe," the Obama administration extended a contract with Blackwater for more than $20 million for "security services" in Iraq, according to federal contract data obtained by The Nation. The State Department contract is scheduled to run through September 3. In May, the State Department announced it was not renewing Blackwater's Iraq contract, and the Iraqi government has refused to issue the company an operating license.

Iraqis speak of random killings committed by private Blackwater guards
Times Online - 8/7/2009
Guards employed by Blackwater, the US security company, shot Iraqis and killed victims in allegedly unprovoked and random attacks, it was claimed yesterday.

With New Filing, Lawsuit Against Blackwater Steps up a Notch
Wall Street Journal - 8/5/2009
In recent days, the buzz out of the courthouse in Alexandria, Va., has swirled around former congressman William Jefferson and his corruption trial.

Blackwater Chief Accused of Murder, Gun-Running
ABC News - 8/5/2009
The head of Blackwater and his employees may have killed or ordered the killing of people suspected of cooperating with federal investigators probing their activities, according to an anonymous affidavit filed in federal court Monday.

In suit, ex-workers accuse Blackwater founder of murder
The Virginian-Pilot - 8/5/2009
Two men who worked for Blackwater allege in a federal lawsuit that Blackwater founder Erik Prince or his agents murdered one or more people who were planning to provide information to federal authorities about criminal conduct by the company and its operatives in Iraq.

Ex-guards' statements implicate Blackwater founder in Iraq crimes
CNN - 8/4/2009
Two former Blackwater employees have made statements against Blackwater Worldwide and its founder Erik Prince, accusing the security company and its former CEO of murder and other serious crimes in Iraq, according to court documents filed this week.

Blackwater Founder Implicated in Murder
The Nation - 8/4/2009
A former Blackwater employee and an ex-US Marine who has worked as a security operative for the company have made a series of explosive allegations in sworn statements filed on August 3 in federal court in Virginia. The two men claim that the company's owner, Erik Prince, may have murdered or facilitated the murder of individuals who were cooperating with federal authorities investigating the company. The former employee also alleges that Prince "views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe," and that Prince's companies "encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life."

Group wants probe of contractor role in renditions
AP - 8/3/2009
A United Nations working group on Monday urged Congress to investigate whether the U.S. government used private contractors to secretly transport terror suspects to clandestine prisons.

Audit finds contractor oversight improving in Iraq
AP - 7/28/2009
The government has kept a closer eye on U.S. contractors in Iraq since a deadly 2007 shooting by Blackwater guards, but it still needs to do a better job tracking and investigating when private security guards fire their guns, two new Pentagon audits have found.

The Cowboys of Kabul
Mother Jones - 7/27/2009
It was March 2002, and Del and Barbara Spier were flat broke. The Texas couple, grandparents of five and owners of a small, Houston-based private investigations firm, were more than $260,000 in debt. They carried balances as high as $18,600 on more than a dozen credit cards and were saddled with $80,000 in outstanding bank loans and a $95,000 mortgage. In their bankruptcy filing, the Spiers' company, which they founded in 1987 and named the Agency for Investigation and Protective Services, was deemed of "no marketable value."

Administration Bridles at Bar on Contractors
Washington Post - 7/16/2009
The Obama administration has objected to a provision in the 2010 defense funding bill currently before the Senate that would bar the military's use of contractors to interrogate detainees.

Administration rejects interrogation controls
The Hill - 7/15/2009
The Obama administration is seeking to allow contract interrogators to question military detainees and opposes any mandatory videotaping of interrogations.

Lawsuit now accuses Xe contractors of murder, kidnapping
The Virginian-Pilot - 7/2/2009
A just-amended lawsuit alleges six additional instances of unprovoked attacks on Iraqi civilians by Blackwater contractors.

Senate Investigates Blackwater Subsidiary
CBS News - 7/1/2009
The Senate Armed Services Committee is investigating the private security firm Paravant LLC which provides contracted services to the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and Iraq. Paravant is a subsidiary of Xe, formerly known as Blackwater, owned by Erik D. Prince, president of The Prince Group.

War zone contractors likely here to stay
CNN - 6/23/2009
The company formerly known as Blackwater, now called Xe much to its chagrin, has been at the center of the contractor debate for years.

Audit Finds That U.S. Overpaid Blackwater
Wall Street Journal - 6/17/2009
A government audit found that the State Department overpaid the contract-security firm once known as Blackwater Worldwide by tens of millions of dollars because the company failed to properly staff its teams in Iraq.

Audit finds Blackwater didn't pay for contract infractions
CNN - 6/16/2009
The State Department failed to seek $55 million in penalties from the American security firm once known as Blackwater for not properly complying with its security contract for protecting diplomatic personnel in Iraq, an audit shows.

2 U.S. Contractors Transferred From Iraqi Jail
Washington Post - 6/15/2009
Two Americans arrested this month during an Iraqi investigation into the killing of an American contractor were transferred to a U.S. military facility at the request of Iraqi officials, the U.S. Embassy said Sunday.

Americans transferred from Iraqi to US custody
AP - 6/14/2009
Two American contractors were transferred Sunday from Iraqi to U.S. custody, the U.S. Embassy said, stressing that Iraqi authorities requested the move in line with a security pact that took effect this year.

Iraq says frees 3 of 5 arrested U.S. contractors
Reuters - 6/11/2009
Three of five U.S. security contractors arrested in Baghdad as part of an investigation into the killing of a fellow American contractor have been freed, Iraq's government spokesman said Thursday.

Lawmakers: contractors' white knights
Politico - 6/11/2009
Only at the Pentagon is a quarter of a billion dollars treated like chump change. That’s the limit below which defense contracts are deemed too small to warrant oversight by senior military officials.

Suit: Blackwater operating illegally in Iraq after contract
Virginian-Pilot - 6/11/2009
The latest in a series of war-crimes lawsuits against Blackwater and its affiliated companies alleges that they continue to operate illegally in Iraq a month after the expiration of their lucrative security contract with the U.S. State Department.

Panel details waste, inefficiency in war spending
AP - 6/10/2009
The sign outside a $30 million construction project under way at a U.S. military base in Iraq says it all: "Camp Delta Dinning Facility."

Iraqi Security Forces Arrest Five American Civilians
Washington Post - 6/8/2009
Iraqi security forces have arrested five Americans in connection with the killing of a contractor last month in Baghdad's Green Zone, Iraqi officials said Sunday. It could be the first case in which Americans face local justice under a security pact signed last year.

Panel finds lax oversight of wartime contracting
AP - 6/7/2009
The Defense Department has failed to provide adequate oversight over tens of billions of dollars in contracts to support military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, says a new report by an independent commission investigating waste and fraud in wartime spending.

Dead Iraqi's family sues Blackwater in shooting involving Seattle man
Seattle Post-Intelligencer - 6/7/2009
As authorities continue to investigate a Seattle military contractor accused in a deadly 2006 shooting in Iraq, a new lawsuit has been filed against the man's former employer - then Blackwater USA, now Xe - by the slain man's family.

5 Americans Arrested in Death of Iraq Contractor
New York Times - 6/7/2009
Five American contractors have been detained in Baghdad in connection with the killing of another American contractor, a senior Interior Ministry official said Sunday.

Contractors: Urged to lie in Afghan death
United Press International - 5/27/2009
Two U.S. security contractors involved in the shooting of an Afghan civilian say they were pressured by their employer to say they were drunk at the time.

Contractors in fatal shooting say they're scapegoats
CNN - 5/27/2009
Two U.S. security contractors involved in the shooting death of an Afghan civilian said they were pressured to say they had been drinking in order to protect the company's contract.

Contractors Say Blackwater Supplied Forbidden Guns
AP - 5/21/2009
The security firm formerly known as Blackwater armed some of its workers in Afghanistan despite U.S. military documents that prohibited them from carrying guns, said two former contractors who were fired after they were involved in a fatal shooting in the country.

Two Blackwater-Affiliated Contractors Flee Afghanistan
Wall Street Journal - 5/19/2009
Two of the four Blackwater-affiliated contractors involved in a civilian shooting incident in Kabul earlier this month have fled to the U.S. in order to avoid possible prosecution from Afghan authorities, according to their attorney.

U.S.: Afghan contractors violated gun policy
AP - 5/19/2009
Four U.S. contractors for the company formerly known as Blackwater were not authorized to carry weapons when they were involved in a deadly shooting in Afghanistan this month, the U.S. military said Tuesday.

U.S. Contractors Fired at Kabul Car
Wall Street Journal - 5/18/2009
Four U.S. contractors affiliated with the company formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide fired on an approaching civilian vehicle in Kabul this month, wounding at least two Afghan civilians, according to the company and the U.S. military.

U.S. military probes Blackwater Kabul killing
Reuters - 5/17/2009
The U.S. military is investigating a shooting incident in which four contractors from the re-named firm formerly called Blackwater are accused of killing an Afghan man after a traffic accident, a spokesman said on Sunday.

Contractors involved in shooting are virtual prisoners, attorney says
CNN - 5/16/2009
Four security contractors under investigation by the U.S. military for a shooting in Afghanistan are being held against their will by their former employer, their lawyer told CNN on Saturday.

4 Americans investigated in Afghan death
AP - 5/16/2009
Four U.S. private security guards are being held against their will in Afghanistan by the company formerly known as Blackwater after their involvement in a deadly shooting, their lawyer said Saturday.

CIA Contractors Played Big Role In Interrogations
NPR - 5/15/2009
Congressional testimony this week showed that private CIA contractors were a driving force behind harsh interrogations. Although there are lawsuits against military contractors involved in detainee abuse, there has been far less legal action against contractors who worked for the CIA.

Contractor protests 'biased' treatment at hearing
AP - 5/13/2009
KBR Inc., a major military contractor whose fees have generated criticism, says it was subjected to "judgmental and biased" treatment by a special panel investigating waste and fraud in war spending.

No Jail Time in Retribution Killing Overseas
Washington Post - 5/9/2009
Amid a mundane conversation about fuel prices, Abdul Salam doused an American anthropologist with gasoline and lit her on fire, an attack in a small Afghan village last year that was as ferocious as it was unexpected. When Don M. Ayala learned what had happened to his colleague moments after subduing and handcuffing Salam, he placed his 9mm pistol against Salam's head and pulled the trigger, killing the detainee instantly.

Ex-Contractor Given Probation in Slaying of Afghan
AP - 5/8/2009
A former military contractor avoided jail Friday for the revenge killing of a handcuffed Afghan detainee who had doused one of the contractor's colleagues with gasoline and set her on fire.

Contractors Using Military Clinics
Washington Post - 5/7/2009
Military clinics and field hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan have supplied more than $1 million a month in health-care services to civilian contractors during the past two years without seeking reimbursement from their employers, as provided by law, according to a new audit by the Defense Department inspector general.

House Democrats take aim at battlefield contracts
AP - 5/7/2009
Alarmed by the increasing use of contractors to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, House Democrats are demanding that the military shift more of the lucrative work handled by U.S. companies to Iraqis and Afghans.

Blackwater weapons dump alleged
AP - 5/7/2009
A defense contractor charged with trying to smuggle firearms out of Iraq said Blackwater guards asked him to help get rid of weapons after a deadly 2007 shooting in Baghdad, two government informants say in court documents.

Blackwater era ending in Iraq
CNN - 5/7/2009
The troubled Blackwater era ends in Iraq on Thursday as another firm takes over the once-dominant company's security services contract in Baghdad.

U.S.: Baghdad contract expires for ex-Blackwater
AP - 5/7/2009
The Baghdad contract for the security firm once known as Blackwater Worldwide ended Thursday, the U.S. Embassy said, although the company will temporarily continue operations elsewhere in Iraq.

Probation sought for U.S. contractor
United Press International - 5/6/2009
Defense attorneys are seeking probation for a former Army Ranger who pleaded guilty to killing a man while serving as a private contractor in Afghanistan.

Informants say Blackwater guards tried to unload arms
Virginian-Pilot - 5/6/2009
Shortly after a 2007 shooting incident in a Baghdad traffic square that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead, Blackwater contractors allegedly transferred a number of machine guns to another contractor who is now charged with trying to smuggle them out of Iraq.

Senators Accuse Pentagon of Delay in Recovering Millions
New York Times - 5/3/2009
The Pentagon has done little to collect at least $100 million in overcharges paid in deals arranged by corrupt former officials of Kellogg Brown & Root, the defense contractor, even though the officials admitted much of the wrongdoing years ago, two senators have complained in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.

Government proposes regulation for private security firms
Reuters UK - 4/24/2009
The government proposed national and international codes of conduct on Friday to regulate private security contractors, a multi-billion dollar industry that plays a sometimes controversial role in conflict zones.

Iraq: No Long-Term Role for Ex-Blackwater Units
AP - 4/21/2009
Iraq's government spokesman insisted Tuesday that the former Blackwater Worldwide can have no long-term presence in the country and said authorities will continue to press for compensation for a deadly September 2007 shooting.

Blackwater out of Iraq? No, Not Yet
AP - 4/20/2009
Armed guards from the security firm once known as Blackwater Worldwide are still protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq, even though the company has no license to operate there and has been told by the State Department its contracts will not be renewed two years after a lethal firefight that stirred outrage in Baghdad.

Abu Ghraib Victims Can Sue Interrogators
The Public Record - 4/15/2009
In a ruling that could have widespread implications for government contractors overseas, a federal court has concluded that four former Abu Ghraib detainees, who were tortured and later released without charge, can sue the U.S. military contractor who was involved in conducting prisoner interrogations for the Pentagon in Iraq.

CIA bans contract interrogation workers
Los Angeles Times - 4/10/2009
CIA Director Leon E. Panetta said today that he has banned the agency's use of contract employees to interrogate prisoners or provide security at detention facilities, ending a practice that had drawn frequent criticism from human rights groups and key members of Congress.

Fourth lawsuit filed against Blackwater
Los Angeles Times - 4/4/2009
A fourth lawsuit has been filed in a federal court in San Diego against the former Blackwater Worldwide security firm on behalf of family members of Iraqis allegedly killed by Blackwater guards.

Ex-Blackwater Workers May Return to Iraq Jobs
New York Times - 4/3/2009
Late last month Blackwater Worldwide lost its billion-dollar contract to protect American diplomats here, but by next month many if not most of its private security guards will be back on the job in Iraq.

Dogs of War: Immunity, what immunity?
Middle East Times - 4/3/2009
Don't look now but it is raining lawyers; or to be more precise, lawsuits. Just consider what has happened in the past two weeks.

Falsehoods in Iraq shooting unpunished
USA Today - 4/2/2009
The top security official at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq refused to punish Blackwater security guards for making false statements about an unjustified 2005 shooting in Baghdad because he didn't want to lower the morale of those contracted to work security, according to newly released State Department records.

US Replaces Blackwater for Some Iraq Security
AP - 4/1/2009
The State Department said Wednesday it has signed the Virginia-based private security firm Triple Canopy to take over protecting U.S. diplomats on the ground in Iraq from Blackwater Worldwide, now known as Xe.

Source: Firm to take over Blackwater/Xe's Iraq contract
CNN - 4/1/2009
Herndon, Virginia-based Triple Canopy has been awarded the security services contract in Baghdad, a State Department source told CNN Tuesday.

No Forensic Match for Ammo in Blackwater Shooting
AP - 4/1/2009
FBI scientists were unable to match bullets from a deadly 2007 Baghdad shooting to guns carried by Blackwater Worldwide security guards, according to laboratory reports that leave open the possibility that insurgents also fired in the crowded intersection.

Moms of slain Blackwater contractors speak on anniversary
CNN - 3/31/2009
Donna Zovko will have to wait to travel to Falluja to see where her son died in one of the Iraq war's most infamous attacks.

Peacekeepers-for-Hire? Not so Fast, Critics Warn
Inter Press Service - 3/30/2009
Is the U.N. willing to emulate the U.S. model of engaging private defence and security firms in dealing with issues of war and peace?

Plaintiffs Get a Boost from Rocket Docket Judge in Iraq War Contractor Cases
American Lawyer - 3/27/2009
How effective have military contractors in Iraq been at asserting immunity in civil suits against them? We wondered after we saw recent filings against Blackwater successor Xe for its role in civilian deaths in Iraq in September 2007 and for a 2006 incident in which an allegedly intoxicated Blackwater worker shot an Iraqi guard. So we called Susan Burke of Washington, D.C.'s Burke O'Neil, who's handling an array of civil suits against military contractors, to find out.

More lawsuits filed against Blackwater security firm
Los Angeles Times - 3/27/2009
Two more lawsuits have been filed in San Diego federal court against the former Blackwater Worldwide security firm by families of Iraqis allegedly killed by Blackwater guards.

CACI Intl criticizes judge's Abu Ghraib decision
AP - 3/23/2009
CACI International Inc. criticized a judge's refusal to dismiss a lawsuit by alleged torture victims at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, vowing to "pursue all of its legal alternatives to defend itself and vindicate the company's good name."

In Afghanistan, US military's `Help Wanted' sign
AP - 3/22/2009
The military buildup in Afghanistan is stoking a surge of private security contractors despite a string of deadly shootings in Iraq in recent years that has called into question the government's ability to manage the guns for hire.

Iraqi widow sues former Blackwater employee and company over shooting
Los Angeles Times - 3/21/2009
Lawyers for the widow and young sons of an Iraqi man allegedly killed by a drunken employee of the former Blackwater Worldwide security firm after a Christmas Eve party in Baghdad have filed a damage suit in federal court in San Diego.

Iraqi family sues ex-Blackwater guard over death
AP - 3/20/2009
The family of a slain Iraqi security guard says in a federal lawsuit that a former Blackwater contractor fatally shot the man while wandering drunk in Baghdad, and the survivors accuse the company of covering up wrongdoing while reneging on promises of compensation.

Lawsuit on alleged Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse can move ahead
CNN - 3/19/2009
A lawsuit alleging that civilian American interrogators subjected Iraqis to torture and severe mistreatment at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad can move forward, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

Judge: Abu Ghraib detainees can sue Va. contractor
AP - 3/19/2009
A federal judge rejected a defense contractor's claims that it was immune from lawsuits by four alleged torture victims at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

EXCLUSIVE: New deal for Blackwater
Washington Times - 3/17/2009
Days after the Baghdad government decided it no longer wanted the company then known as Blackwater in Iraq, the State Department signed a $22.2 million deal in February to keep the embattled contractor working there through most of the summer, contract records show.

U.S. Moves to Replace Contractors in Iraq
Washington Post - 3/17/2009
The decision not to renew Blackwater Worldwide's security contract in Iraq when it expires in early May has left the State Department scrambling to fill a protection gap for U.S. diplomats and civilian officials there.

President to Take On Government Contracting
ABC News - 3/4/2009
At 10 a.m. today President Obama will sign a presidential memorandum to reform government contracting, an action that the President will say grew out of a bipartisan consensus forged at last week's fiscal responsibility summit.

A drawdown of contractors in Iraq
Christian Science Monitor - 3/4/2009
American troops have a silent partner in Iraq: Tens of thousands of contractors who support their mission in unsung but critical ways, serving food, providing security, and cleaning bathrooms. But as President Obama reduces the American military presence there over the next year-and-a-half, US commanders face the challenge of weaning themselves off the contractors' services and sending them home.

Blackwater founder steps down as CEO
AP - 3/2/2009
Blackwater founder Erik Prince is stepping down as the company's chief executive officer.

Founder, CEO of Blackwater Steps Aside, 'Worn Out'
Wall Street Journal - 3/2/2009
Erik Prince, who founded security contractor Blackwater Worldwide and remained defiant after the company became embroiled in controversy following a deadly 2007 shooting incident in Baghdad, is stepping down as chief executive of the parent company.

Obama Aims to Reduce Reliance on Contractors
Wall Street Journal - 2/28/2009
President Barack Obama's federal budget blueprint signals his hope of rolling back Washington's dependence on private-sector contractors, but the lack of specifics suggests the difficulty of the task.

Dogs of War: Mercenaries are in the eye of the beholder
United Press International - 2/20/2009
Last Sunday The New York Times reported the American military will begin recruiting skilled immigrants who are living in the United States with temporary visas, offering them the chance to become U.S. citizens in as little as six months.

A Terrain's Tragic Shift
Washington Post - 2/18/2009
With its mud-walled houses and narrow lanes, Chehel Gazi looked like a hundred other dusty villages that Paula Loyd had visited in southern Afghanistan over the years. She greeted villagers with the same forthright, friendly concern that she had always displayed during her past stints as an aid worker, U.N. staffer and member of civil affairs teams for the U.S. Army.

Judge Refuses to Dismiss Charges Against Blackwater Guards
Washington Post - 2/18/2009
A federal judge yesterday refused to throw out charges against five U.S. security contractors accused of killing 14 Iraqi civilians in a busy Baghdad square in 2007.

Judge refuses to toss charges in Blackwater case
AP - 2/17/2009
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the manslaughter case against five former Blackwater Worldwide security guards accused of spraying innocent Iraqis with machine-gun fire can continue.

Blackwater Sheds Name, Shifts Focus
Washington Post - 2/14/2009
Blackwater Worldwide, a private security company whose work in Iraq was plagued by trouble, said yesterday that it is changing its name to Xe as it shifts its business focus.

Blackwater Puts on a New Public Face
Wall Street Journal - 2/14/2009
The parent company of Blackwater Worldwide is restructuring and will drop the name Blackwater from its various units, a move that coincides with the winding down of the State Department guard work in Iraq that turned the small military-training company into one of the world's biggest -- and most controversial -- security firms.

Blackwater Changes Its Name to Xe
AP - 2/13/2009
Blackwater Worldwide is abandoning the brand name that has been tarnished by its work in Iraq, settling on Xe (pronounced zee) as the new name for its family of two dozen businesses.

Judge deals blow to families suing Blackwater
AP - 2/11/2009
The survivors of four Blackwater Worldwide contractors killed in a grisly ambush in Iraq five years ago have suffered yet another setback in their legal battle with the company.

Army contractor pleads guilty in detainee shooting
Washington Post - 2/4/2009
An Army contractor faces up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the shooting death of a handcuffed Taliban member in Afghanistan who had just set one of the contractor's colleagues on fire.

Clinton sees smaller role for security contractors
Agence France-Presse - 2/4/2009
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged to reduce the government's use of private security contractors abroad, in comments Wednesday.

Afghanistan Contractor Pleads Guilty to Killing Man Who Burned Co-Worker
Washington Post - 2/4/2009
A civilian contractor pleaded guilty yesterday to voluntary manslaughter in the killing in Afghanistan of a man who set the contractor's co-worker on fire, prosecutors said.

Blackwater under review in Afghanistan
Washington Times - 2/3/2009
The State Department's inspector general will review services provided by Blackwater Worldwide in Afghanistan, only weeks after the Baghdad government canceled the embattled security company's contract in Iraq.

Pentagon Letter Complicates Blackwater Case
AP - 2/3/2009
The Pentagon wrote in 2007 that Blackwater Worldwide contractors in Iraq are not subject to U.S. civilian criminal laws, a position that undercuts the Justice Department's effort to prosecute five Blackwater security guards on manslaughter charges.

Blackwater Guards Immune Under Law, Pentagon Says
Bloomberg - 2/2/2009
The U.S. Defense Department concluded in 2007 that Blackwater Worldwide contractors can’t be prosecuted under federal law for a shooting incident in Iraq that left 17 civilians dead.

Iraq Will Force Blackwater to Leave the Country
Wall Street Journal - 1/30/2009
The Iraqi government said it plans to force security firm Blackwater Worldwide to exit the country, in a move that could shift the fortunes of the private security industry and push the U.S. State Department to find other contractors to protect diplomats at its biggest embassy.

No Pact for Blackwater
Reuters - 1/30/2009
The State Department has told Blackwater Worldwide, the private security company whose guards are accused of killing Iraqi civilians while protecting American diplomats, that it will not renew its contract in Iraq.

Official: U.S. will not renew Iraq contract with Blackwater
CNN - 1/30/2009
The State Department will not renew the contract of security contractor Blackwater Worldwide when it expires in May, a senior State Department official said Friday.

Official: Blackwater's Iraq deal not to be renewed
AP - 1/30/2009
The State Department will not renew Blackwater Worldwide's contract to protect American diplomats in Iraq when it expires in May, a senior U.S. official said Friday.

Iraq pulls Blackwater security firm's license
Los Angeles Times - 1/30/2009
Blackwater Worldwide, the security firm accused of using excessive deadly force while protecting U.S. diplomats in Baghdad, would be barred from future work in Iraq under a decision by Baghdad officials to pull the firm's security license.

Blackwater: We will leave Iraq if US orders it
AP - 1/29/2009
Blackwater Worldwide, denied an operating license in Iraq, said Thursday it could leave the country within 72 hours but cautioned that such a move would cause more harm to the American diplomats it protects than the company itself.

Iraq to deny license to Blackwater guards
Reuters - 1/29/2009
Iraq will deny a license to Blackwater Worldwide, the private security firm accused of killing Iraqi civilians while protecting U.S. diplomats, U.S. and Iraqi officials said on Thursday.

U.S. Looks for Blackwater Replacement in Iraq
New York Times - 1/29/2009
As Iraq moved to force Blackwater Worldwide out of the country, the State Department asked two other American companies how quickly they could take over the company’s contract to provide personal security for American diplomats in Baghdad, several American officials said Thursday.

Iraq to Deny New License To Blackwater Security Firm
Washington Post - 1/29/2009
The Iraqi government has informed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that it will not issue a new operating license to Blackwater Worldwide, the embassy's primary security company, which has come under scrutiny for allegedly using excessive force while protecting American diplomats, Iraqi and U.S. officials said Wednesday.

KBR must be accountable for Iraq deaths: senators
Reuters - 1/27/2009
Lawmakers on Tuesday raised concerns about the U.S. military's increased use of private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, and said KBR and other companies should be held accountable for the electrocution deaths of U.S. soldiers and other mistakes.

Dogs of War: The future of contractor accountability -- immunity or impunity?
United Press International - 1/12/2009
One of the commonly voiced complaints about private security contractors is that they operate with complete impunity. This always has been somewhat overstated. For example, the June 2003 Coalition Provisional Authority Order 17, which states that contractors "shall be immune from any form of arrest or detention," is said to grant them blanket immunity from any and all crimes. That ignores Section 5 of the order, which states contractors' immunity from prosecution "may be waived" by the "sending state" -- which, in the case of U.S. contractors, is the U.S. government.

IG Faults Oversight Of Security Contractors
Washington Post - 1/10/2009
The State Department may have violated federal regulations in turning over management aspects of its multibillion-dollar private security contract in Iraq to other contractors, the department's inspector general concludes in a report released yesterday.

Contractor attacked in Afghanistan dies from burns
AP - 1/9/2009
An anthropologist embedded with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan to help soldiers understand local customs has died more than two months after she was doused with fuel and set on fire.

Report: Iraq security contractors poorly managed
AP - 1/9/2009
The State Department has poorly managed a nearly $2 billion deal with Blackwater Worldwide and other security contractors in Iraq, according to a report from the agency's inspector general, which cites failures to station guards in the right places and weak oversight as key problems.

Former Blackwater Guards Plead Not Guilty
Washington Post - 1/7/2009
Five former Blackwater Worldwide security guards pleaded not guilty yesterday to federal charges that they unleashed an unprovoked salvo of bullets and grenades in a busy Baghdad square in 2007, killing at least 14 Iraqi civilians and injuring 20 others.

Feds plan to charge Seattle man for Iraq death
AP - 1/6/2009
Federal prosecutors intend to charge a former security contractor for Blackwater USA in the killing of an Iraqi guard in 2006, his lawyer said Tuesday.

US judge sets trial in 2010 for Blackwater guards
Reuters - 1/6/2009
A federal judge on Tuesday set a trial for early next year for five Blackwater security guards accused of killing 14 unarmed civilians in a 2007 shooting in Baghdad that strained U.S.-Iraqi relations.

Guards Plead Not Guilty in ’07 Killings in Baghdad
New York Times - 1/6/2009
Five guards for Blackwater Worldwide pleaded not guilty in federal court here on Tuesday to manslaughter and other charges stemming from shootings in Baghdad in 2007 that left at least 17 Iraqis dead.

Blackwater guards to make court appearance
AP - 1/6/2009
Five Blackwater Worldwide security guards are expected to appear in federal court to answer to manslaughter charges in the 2007 shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad.

Blackwater guards face arraignment in Iraqi deaths
Los Angeles Times - 1/6/2009
Ask attorney Hassan Jabbar Salman what should happen to five Blackwater Worldwide guards accused of killing 17 unarmed Iraqis and wounding 20 others, including himself, and his answer is simple: They should be hanged.

Victims of Blackwater shooting await guards' trial
AP - 1/5/2009
Iraqis wounded by gunfire in a Baghdad square 15 months ago are awaiting with guarded hopes the beginning of court proceedings against five former private Blackwater Worldwide security guards.

Are Iraq Contractors Subject to U.S. Law?
Washington Independent - 12/26/2008
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice announced to great fanfare that it had indicted five guards employed by the private security firm Blackwater Worldwide for their role in a Baghdad shooting that left 17 Iraqis dead last year. A sixth guard had pled guilty to manslaughter and weapons violations.

New year brings less clarity to Blackwater in Iraq
AP - 12/23/2008
When a team of Blackwater Worldwide security contractors opened fire last year in Baghdad's Nisoor Square, nobody was quite sure if a crime had been committed, and if so, whether there was a prosecutor with the authority to bring charges.

Fatal Shootings by Iraq Contractors Drop in 2008
Washington Post - 12/20/2008
Private security contractors guarding State Department officials in Iraq have been involved in just one deadly shooting incident through the first 10 months of this year, compared with 72 during the same time period in 2007, the federal government reported this week.

Despite Concerns, Pentagon Seeks Civilian Firm to Oversee Contractors
Washington Post - 12/19/2008
Shortly after an inspector general questioned the practice of the Pentagon issuing contracts to administer contracts, the U.S. Army began advertising this week for an American firm to manage oversight of private security companies in Afghanistan.

Blackwater radio logs: Guards took incoming fire
AP - 12/18/2008
Radio logs from a deadly 2007 shooting in Baghdad cast doubt on U.S. government claims that Blackwater Worldwide security guards were unprovoked when they killed 14 Iraqi civilians.

U.S. should be ready if Iraq bars Blackwater: report
Reuters - 12/17/2008
A U.S. government report raises the possibility that private security firm Blackwater could lose its license to protect U.S. diplomats in Iraq and advises making contingency plans, two sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Report Says Iraq May Ban Blackwater
New York Times - 12/17/2008
The State Department’s inspector general has warned in a new report that Blackwater Worldwide, the security contractor, may not be licensed by the Iraqi government to continue to protect American diplomats in Baghdad next year, forcing the Obama administration to make new security arrangements.

Charges astound N.H. hometown of former Marine
Boston Globe - 12/17/2008
No one interviewed for this report said they had heard Liberty's version of events, including his father. But his defenders are reflexively adamant that the scrappy athlete and consummate outdoorsman could not possibly have gunned down innocent people while working for Blackwater Worldwide, the largest private security contractor in Iraq.

Contractors fire men charged in Iraq kidnapping
AP - 12/16/2008
Three men charged with kidnapping a foreign national at gunpoint while working at an air base in Iraq have quit or been fired by the military contractors that employed them, the companies said Tuesday.

How Blackwater Serves America
Wall Street Journal - 12/16/2008
Since United States military operations in Iraq began in 2003, I have visited Iraq at least 15 times. But unlike politicians who visit, the question for me has never been why the U.S. got into Iraq. Instead, as the CEO of Blackwater, the urgent question was how the company I head could perform the duties asked of us by the U.S. State Department.

3 Contractors Indicted on Kidnapping Charges
AP - 12/15/2008
Three men charged with kidnapping a foreign national at gunpoint while working at an air base in Iraq have quit or been fired by the military contractors that employed them, the companies said Tuesday.

Blackwater guards being held to account
Miami Herald - 12/15/2008
The indictment of five Blackwater guards for a wild shooting spree in a crowded Baghdad traffic circle last year shows that the federal government is serious about bringing justice in the case. Many people in the U.S., Iraq and around the world have doubted whether anyone involved in the incident would be held liable. That's understandable because of the difficulty of prosecuting a case that emanates from a war zone and because private contractors have had broad immunity for their actions in Iraq.

A Blackwater hole
Los Angeles Times - 12/15/2008
Five Blackwater security guards indicted in the shooting deaths last year of 17 Iraqi civilians are innocent until proven guilty, and even if convicted might be freed because of ambiguities in U.S. law. But the Justice Department is right to seek to put before a jury its allegation that the guards recklessly caused a bloodbath on Sept. 16, 2007.

Blackwater lawyers want case in Utah
Salt Lake Tribune - 12/14/2008
Defense lawyers for five Blackwater Worldwide guards charged with manslaughter in the deaths of Iraqi civilians who surrendered in Salt Lake City last week say they plan to ask a Washington, D.C., federal judge to return the matter to Utah, even after losing an initial request to hold the case here.

Iraqi Families Vent Anger Over Killings
Washington Post - 12/14/2008
They came for their mothers and daughters, their brothers and fathers, the young and old who died that day. Some hobbled in on crutches. Others were helped in by relatives. One man wore dark sunglasses to hide his ruined eye. One woman cried openly, gently wiping away the tears sliding down her cheeks.

Iraqi Victims and Families Meet U.S. Prosecutors
New York Times - 12/13/2008
American prosecutors met Saturday with victims’ families and survivors of the September 2007 shootings of Iraqi civilians by private security guards employed by Blackwater Worldwide.

Don't sideline contractors
USA Today - 12/12/2008
For the past seven years, our country has been waging war on a global scale. We are fighting on the ground in two countries, and gathering intelligence worldwide. We are trying to defeat non-state actors with the declared intent and demonstrated capacity to do grave harm at any moment to massive numbers of American civilians. To prevail, we need every resource our country can bring to bear. We need the best the U.S. has to offer — military, government and civilian.

Iraqis applaud charges against Blackwater guards
Los Angeles Times - 12/10/2008
The traffic circle hums on a cool and sunny afternoon, as motorists round the center median with its fake orange palm tree that sparkles at night, blooming flower beds and chunky sculpture.

Blackwater indictment represents new ground
The National, UAE - 12/10/2008
The US government has announced details of its indictment against the former security guards accused in the 2007 killings of more than a dozen Iraqi civilians in a case that will test the strength of laws governing the conduct of private contractors overseas.

Law's unclear if U.S. can prosecute Blackwater guards
Miami Herald - 12/9/2008
The indictment of five Blackwater security guards, unsealed this week, is pinned to the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act. The question now becomes: Does the law apply?

Leave the fighting to the soldiers
The National, UAE - 12/9/2008
The killing of 17 Iraqi civilians during a shootout in a Baghdad market last year was undeniably repugnant. That those responsible were six employees of the Blackwater private security company made it that much more controversial. The Iraqi government and the relatives of the victims have called for justice to be done, and it is hard not to sympathise with them. Five of the men involved in the shooting now face charges of manslaughter and misuse of a firearm. But since these armed civilians enjoyed near complete immunity from prosecution in Iraq, it is difficult to see where justice can be delivered.

A Whitewash for Blackwater?
Washington Post - 12/9/2008
The federal manslaughter indictment of five Blackwater Worldwide security guards in the horrific massacre of more than a dozen Iraqi civilians in Baghdad may look like an exercise in accountability, but it's probably the exact opposite -- a whitewash that absolves the government and corporate officials who should bear ultimate responsibility.

Contractors on Trial
Washington Post - 12/9/2008
IN SEPTEMBER 2007, a caravan of security contractors from the firm Blackwater Worldwide rode into a busy traffic circle in Baghdad. Within minutes, a barrage of bullets and grenades fired by some in the Blackwater crew left 17 Iraqis dead and 20 others wounded. The contractors have consistently argued they were acting in self-defense. Federal prosecutors in the United States have concluded that what happened that day was criminal.

Blackwater defendant can keep gun for work
AP - 12/9/2008
Donald Ball, a 26-year-old decorated former Marine, was the only Blackwater Worldwide defendant allowed to keep a gun after his arrest on Monday. Ball packs a .40-caliber Glock as a justice-court bailiff.

Blackwater shootings case moved to Washington DC
AP - 12/9/2008
Five Blackwater Worldwide guards charged with the unprovoked shooting that killed 14 innocent Iraqis and wounded dozens of others in 2007 will get their day in a Washington court after unsuccessfully trying to move the trial to Utah.

U.S. details case against Blackwater guards
Los Angeles Times - 12/9/2008
The five Blackwater security guards indicted in the deaths of unarmed civilians in Baghdad last year were operating in the area in defiance of U.S. government orders and opened fire with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, killing some people as they tried to surrender or flee, according to a Justice Department investigation made public Monday.

Contractors Charged in '07 Iraq Deaths
Washington Post - 12/9/2008
Federal prosecutors yesterday described a blaze of gunfire and grenade explosions unleashed by six Blackwater Worldwide security guards in a busy Baghdad square last year, calling it an "unprovoked and illegal attack" on unarmed Iraqi civilians that killed at least 14 and wounded 20.

Blackwater indictments to spur legislation
The Hill - 12/8/2008
The Justice Department indictment of five Blackwater security guards and the ensuing trial will prompt renewed congressional attention over contractor accountability in war zones.

Plea by Blackwater Guard Helps Indict Others
New York Times - 12/8/2008
In the first public airing of an investigation that remains the source of fierce international outrage, the Justice Department on Monday unsealed its case against five private security guards, built largely around the chilling testimony of a sixth guard about the 2007 shootings that left 17 unsuspecting Iraqi civilians dead at a busy Baghdad traffic circle.

Private Contractors Sought As Guards in Afghanistan
Washington Post - 12/8/2008
The U.S. Army is looking to private contractors to provide armed security guards to protect Forward Operating Bases in seven provinces in southern Afghanistan. In a recent study, Anthony H. Cordesman, an intelligence expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, described five of those provinces -- Helmand, Kandahar, Nimruz, Zabol and Uruzgan -- as among the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan.

Iraq security contractors face end to immunity
Reuters - 12/8/2008
Private security guards in Iraq, whose armored convoys once barreled through the streets with impunity, could face being thrown into crowded and violent Iraqi jails once their era of legal immunity ends on January 1.

Ex-Blackwater guards charged with manslaughter
CNN - 12/8/2008
Five former Blackwater Worldwide security guards indicted on voluntary manslaughter and other charges in connection with killings in Iraq were released on their own recognizance Monday after a court hearing.

Iraqi relatives want death for Blackwater guards
Reuters - 12/7/2008
Employees of U.S. security firm Blackwater who shot and killed Iraqi civilians should face the death sentence, relatives of some victims said on Sunday.

U.S. Prosecutor Goes to Iraq to Work on Blackwater Case
New York Times - 12/7/2008
An American prosecutor working on the case against five Blackwater security guards indicted in connection with a 2007 shooting in Baghdad has arrived in Iraq and will be meeting with victims’ families this week, Iraqi officials said.

Contractors' Attorneys Lash Out at Justice Dept.
Washington Post - 12/7/2008
Attorneys for five Blackwater Worldwide security guards charged in a 2007 shooting that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead accused the government yesterday of engaging in unfair second-guessing of the contractors' actions in a combat zone.

Lawyers Say U.S. Reckless in Charges for 5 Guards
New York Times - 12/6/2008
Lawyers for the five Blackwater guards indicted by the Justice Department in connection with a 2007 shooting in Baghdad accused the government of overstepping its authority and recklessly staining the reputations of five decorated veterans who had honorably served their country.

Blackwater guards: Mercenaries or decorated vets?
AP - 12/6/2008
Defense attorneys on Saturday lambasted U.S. indictments against decorated war veterans for deadly 2007 shootings as Iraqis welcomed the charges against five Blackwater guards in a case that fueled anti-Americanism and roiled diplomacy with Baghdad.

US mulls unusual tactic as Blackwater charges loom
AP - 12/5/2008
The Justice Department is readying indictments that could send Blackwater Worldwide guards to prison for at least 30 years for their involvement in the deadly 2007 Baghdad shooting of Iraqi civilians, people close to the case said.

Ind. Soldiers Sue Over Chemical Exposure in Iraq
AP - 12/3/2008
Sixteen Indiana National Guard soldiers sued the big defense contractor KBR Inc. on Wednesday, saying its employees knowingly allowed them to be exposed to a toxic chemical in Iraq five years ago.

At Least Some Accountability
New York Times - 12/2/2008
American forces in Iraq have relied far too heavily on private security contractors who have operated with no real legal accountability. The trigger-happy tactics of these armies for hire have alienated Iraqis. The fact that they have been out of reach of Iraqi law has been an especially bitter pill to swallow.

U.S. subcontractor confined more than 1,000 foreign workers in Iraq warehouses
Miami Herald - 12/2/2008
About 1,000 Asian men who were hired by a Kuwaiti subcontractor to the U.S. military have been confined for as long as three months in windowless warehouses near the Baghdad airport without money or a place to work.

Contractors in Iraq could face charges in earlier incidents
Miami Herald - 11/20/2008
Private security contractors operating in Iraq could face Iraqi prosecution for acts committed when they supposedly had immunity from Iraqi law, U.S. officials said Thursday.

US contractors lose immunity in Iraq security deal
AP - 11/20/2008
Thousands of contractors, both private Americans and non-Iraqi foreigners working in key roles for the United States in Iraq, will lose immunity and be subject to Iraqi law under new security arrangements, Bush administration officials say.

US charges defense contractor with Afghan killing
AP - 11/20/2008
A defense contractor who once provided personal security for Afghanistan's president was charged with shooting a handcuffed Afghani civilian after hearing the man had inflicted serious burns on a fellow contractor, prosecutors said.

Contractor Charged With Murder in Afghan's Death
Washington Post - 11/20/2008
A defense contractor who once protected top foreign leaders was charged yesterday with second-degree murder in the shooting of an Afghan civilian who had attacked one of his colleagues with a flammable liquid during a routine patrol.

Report: Tighten reins on war-zone contractors
Air Force Times - 11/15/2008
The U.S. should continue its reliance on private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan but transfer responsibility for managing private security personnel to the military police and the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, a new report on Pentagon contracting concludes.

Obama urged to review use of private firms in war
Reuters - 11/14/2008
The Obama administration should move away from using private contractors in active battle areas in Iraq and Afghanistan and dramatically step up oversight, a Washington think tank urged on Friday.

Report urges military to move away from private security personnel
Government Executive - 11/14/2008
The military should rely on the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security rather than private contractors to protect U.S. assets and personnel, according to a new report from a Washington think tank.

Feds draft indictment against Blackwater guards
AP - 11/14/2008
More than a year after Blackwater Worldwide security guards opened fire in a crowded Baghdad square, top Justice Department prosecutors are reviewing a draft indictment against six of the contractors, people close to the investigation said.

Blackwater Busted?
The Nation - 11/14/2008
After more than five years of rampant violence and misconduct carried out by the massive army of private corporate contractors in Iraq--actions that have gone totally unpunished under any system of law--the US Justice Department appears to be on the verge of handing down the first indictments against armed private forces for crimes committed in Iraq. The reported targets of the "draft" indictments: six Blackwater operatives involved in the September 16, 2007, killing of seventeen Iraqi civilians in Baghdad's Nisour Square.

New Blackwater Iraq Scandal: Guns, Silencers and Dog Food
ABC News - 11/14/2008
A federal grand jury in North Carolina is investigating allegations the controversial private security firm Blackwater illegally shipped assault weapons and silencers to Iraq, hidden in large sacks of dog food, ABCNews.com has learned.

Blackwater faces fine for illegally shipping arms to Iraq
AP - 11/12/2008
The State Department is preparing to slap a multimillion-dollar fine on private military contractor Blackwater USA for shipping hundreds of automatic weapons to Iraq without the necessary permits.

Blackwater could face sanctions for improper arms shipments
Congress Daily - 11/7/2008
Private security contractor Blackwater Worldwide, often a target of congressional Democrats, soon may face new legal problems.

Auditors: Private security in Iraq cost over $6B
AP - 10/30/2008
No one knows for sure, but auditors think the U.S. has paid well over $6 billion to private security companies who've been guarding diplomats, troops, Iraqi officials and reconstruction workers in Iraq.

Report on Iraq Security Lists 310 Contractors
New York Times - 10/28/2008
At least 310 private security companies from around the world have received contracts from United States agencies to protect American and Iraqi officials, installations, convoys and other entities in Iraq since 2003, according to the most comprehensive accounting yet of the secretive and weakly regulated role that private firms have played in the conflict.

Security firms join Somali piracy fight
AP - 10/26/2008
Blackwater Worldwide and other private security firms _ some with a reputation for being quick on the trigger in Iraq _ are joining the battle against pirates plaguing one of the world's most important shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia.

Blackwater suit to stay in arbitration, court rules
Virginian-Pilot - 10/21/2008
A federal court has ordered a hearing on the deaths of four Blackwater Worldwide guards in Iraq back to private arbitration, likely shielding the contractor from a public investigation into the bloody 2004 ambush.

Blackwater to watch itself on US arms export law
AP - 10/9/2008
Private security contractor Blackwater Worldwide is establishing a panel to ensure it follows U.S. export laws in a move that acknowledges the company may not have adequately complied with them.

Private military – New rules of engagement
Ethical Corporation - 10/6/2008
Lawmakers in the UK and US are ready to bring private dogs of war to heel.

Govt. Uses Contractors to Probe Iraq Contractors
ABC News - 10/3/2008
In an apparent violation of federal regulations, the State Department has outsourced to private contractors the responsibility to investigate possible crimes committed by security contractors in Iraq.

Blackwater Machine Gun Found in Raid on Iraqi Insurgents
ABC News - 10/2/2008
An M4 machine gun sent to Iraq by the Blackwater private security firm somehow disappeared from the company's storage facility in Baghdad and was later discovered during a US military operation, apparently against suspected insurgents, people familiar with the situation have told ABC News.

Contractor says immune from Iraq torture lawsuits
AP - 9/26/2008
Defense contractor CACI (KA'-kee) claims it should be immune from lawsuits alleging torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, saying it was doing the U.S. government's work as a supplier of interrogators.

States clarify rules for security contractors
Reuters - 9/17/2008
Seventeen countries have agreed on rules to ensure that private military companies operating in war zones do not break international humanitarian law or abuse human rights, a senior Swiss diplomat said on Wednesday.

Sources: Charges against Blackwater guards debated
AP - 9/16/2008
Defense attorneys for Blackwater Worldwide employees are trying to head off Justice Department charges against the company's bodyguards who were involved in the deadly shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians exactly one year ago.

KBR, Partner in Iraq Contract Sued in Human Trafficking Case
Washington Post - 8/28/2008
A Washington law firm filed a lawsuit yesterday against KBR, one of the largest U.S. contractors in Iraq, alleging that the company and its Jordanian subcontractor engaged in the human trafficking of Nepali workers.

Contractors Augment Intelligence Agencies
Washington Post - 8/28/2008
About a quarter of the nation's core intelligence workers are contractors, perhaps as many as 37,000 private employees who work side-by-side with civil servants as analysts, technology specialists and mission managers, according to a report about government outsourcing by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Blackwater-linked firm to train Canadian troops
Toronto Star, Canada - 8/27/2008
Canadian soldiers could get training from a U.S. company closely linked to Blackwater USA, a private security firm implicated in the killings of hundreds of Iraqi civilians, if the Department of National Defence has its way.

Private contractors hold lots of US intel jobs
AP - 8/27/2008
More than a quarter of the U.S. intelligence agencies' employees are outside contractors, hired to fill in gaps in the military and civilian work force, according to a survey of the 16 intelligence agencies.

U.S. Contractors Shouldn't Face Iraqi Courts
Wall Street Journal - 8/22/2008
Nearly a year after the tragic shooting of 17 Iraqis by Blackwater security contractors, the Department of Justice is close to indicting six of the guards involved in the horrific events. This is a long overdue step toward holding contractors legally responsible for their actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Going after Blackwater
Las Vegas Sun - 8/21/2008
When guards employed by State Department security contractor Blackwater Worldwide shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians Sept. 16 in Baghdad, the incident highlighted the lack of accountability companies hired by the U.S. government have had in that war-torn nation.

Whose law must mercenaries obey?
Economist, UK - 8/21/2008
THE American federal agency that monitors progress in rebuilding Iraq recently gave warning to Congress that proposed changes in Iraqi law could provoke an exodus of private contractors, who remain a crucial part of the American presence in the country. In particular, proposals by Iraq’s government to end the contractors’ immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts is a contentious aspect of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that will, among other things, define the Americans’ legal status in Iraq after the UN mandate ceases, at the Iraqis’ request, at the end of this year. This week American and Iraqi negotiators sounded close to an agreement. But it was still unclear whether contractors’ immunity, let alone a date for America’s troop withdrawal, has been nailed down.

U.S. Tightens Rules For Security Contractors in Iraq
Wall Street Journal - 8/19/2008
The Defense Department has further tightened the rules for its almost 6,000 armed security contractors in Iraq, a move that appears to shift more risk to hired guards and is intended to avoid shooting incidents that could jeopardize U.S.-Iraqi relations.

Record number of US contractors in Iraq
Christian Science Monitor - 8/18/2008
As of early 2008, at least 190,000 private personnel were working on US-funded projects in the Iraq theater, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) survey found. That means that for each uniformed member of the US military in the region, there was also a contract employee – a ratio of 1 to 1.

Justice Dept. Moves Toward Charges Against Contractors in Iraq Shooting
Washington Post - 8/17/2008
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.

DOJ preparing to charge Blackwater guards in Iraq killings: report
JURIST - 8/17/2008
The US Justice Department has sent so-called target letters to six Blackwater USA guards involved in the September 16 killings of 17 Iraqi civilians, the Washington Post reported Sunday. Sources told the Post that the letters, which provide an opportunity for the recipients to contest grand jury evidence, indicate the Justice Department will likely seek indictments against at least some of the guards under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA). Indictments against the Blackwater employees under the MEJA would mark the first time that State Department contractors were prosecuted under the Act, which allows criminal charges to be filed against contractors working for the Department of Defense. The sources explained that a final decision on whether to indict the men may not be made until October.

Report: Iraq contracts have cost at least $85B
AP - 8/13/2008
Military contracts in the Iraq theater have cost taxpayers at least $85 billion, and when it comes to providing security, they might not be any cheaper than using military personnel, according to a report released Tuesday.

Auditors Question Blackwater Contracts
New York Times - 8/11/2008
Blackwater Worldwide, the contractor whose provision of private security in Iraq has been under scrutiny, and its affiliated companies may have improperly obtained more than $100 million in contracts meant for small businesses, according to federal auditors.

Use of Iraq Contractors Costs Billions, Report Says
New York Times - 8/11/2008
The United States this year will have spent $100 billion on contractors in Iraq since the invasion in 2003, a milestone that reflects the Bush administration’s unprecedented level of dependence on private firms for help in the war, according to a government report to be released Tuesday.

Fourth Circuit dismisses Abu Ghraib contractor defamation suit
JURIST - 8/6/2008
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled Tuesday that a radio talk-show host's inflammatory remarks about a company which conducted interrogations for the US military at Abu Ghraib prison were protected under the First Amendment. In 2005, CACI International filed a defamation suit in federal district court against Randi Rhodes and her radio station, Air America Radio, for comments that Rhodes made on the air accusing CACI of "among other things, torture, rape, murder, and misrepresenting its authority. . . at Abu Ghraib" and likening CACI and other independent contractors operating in Iraq to those "that operated in apartheid South Africa."

Shootings by Contractors in Iraq Decline
Wall Street Journal - 8/2/2008
Shootings by security contractors working for the U.S. in Iraq are down about 60% since a September 2007 incident involving Blackwater Worldwide led to tighter control over armed guards working on behalf of the Pentagon and the State Department, according to a government oversight agency.

Blackwater brand shift: Security to take back seat
AP - 7/22/2008
Blackwater Worldwide, the company that unwittingly became a catchall brand name for security contractors in Iraq, wants to shift its business away from the sector that earned it hundreds of millions of dollars.

Gates questions combat training by contractors
AP - 7/21/2008
Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to know why his military uses private contractors for combat and security training, and how widespread the practice is.

Iraq Case Sheds Light On Secret Contractors
Wall Street Journal - 7/17/2008
Security contractors in Iraq have been in an intense spotlight since employees of another firm, Blackwater Worldwide, were involved in a shooting incident last fall that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead, leading to a Justice Department investigation and efforts by the Iraqi government to clamp down on their actions. Overall, the U.S. has about the same number of contractors as military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan.

House passes CIA contractor ban over veto vow
Reuters - 7/16/2008
U.S. lawmakers defied a White House veto threat on Wednesday and voted to bar CIA contractors from interrogating suspected terrorists, in the latest clash over detainee treatment in the U.S.-declared war on terrorism.

U.S. Agrees to Lift Immunity for Contractors in Iraq
New York Times - 7/2/2008
Iraq’s foreign minister said Tuesday that the United States had agreed to lift immunity for foreign security contractors operating in Iraq, making them subject to prosecution under Iraqi law, according to Iraqi politicians.

Abu Ghraib Inmates Sue Contractors, Claim Torture
AP - 6/30/2008
Three Iraqis and a Jordanian filed federal lawsuits Monday alleging they were tortured by U.S. defense contractors while detained at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.

Former Iraqi Detainees Sue U.S. Military Contractors
Reuters - 6/30/2008
Four Iraqi men are suing U.S. military contractors who they say tortured them while they were detained in Abu Ghraib prison, according to lawsuits being filed at U.S. federal courts on Monday.

Army interpreter sentenced at court-martial
Los Angeles Times - 6/24/2008
An Iraqi Canadian gets five months in confinement in the stabbing of a colleague. He is the first civilian contractor tried by the military since a 2006 law change made that possible.

First contractor convicted under U.S. military law in Iraq
Reuters - 6/24/2008
A U.S. military court has sentenced a Canadian-Iraqi translator to five months in jail over a stabbing in Iraq, the U.S. military said.

Hold the Private Contractors in Iraq Accountable
New York Times - 6/22/2008
“Interrogation for Profit” (editorial, June 12) correctly lauds Congress’s belated effort to bar private contractors from interrogator roles — more than four years after we learned of the contractors’ responsibility for detainee abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Iraq, U.S. working to agree pact by July deadline
Reuters - 6/18/2008
Iraq said on Wednesday it was committed to meeting a deadline for a long-term security pact with the United States, as Washington confirmed it dropped a demand concerning the divisive issue of immunity for private contractors.

Blackwater's bright future
Los Angeles Times - 6/16/2008
From California to Iraq, business has never been better for the controversial private security firm Blackwater Worldwide. Company President Gary Jackson recently boasted that Blackwater has "had two successive quarters of unprecedented growth." Owner Erik Prince recently spun his company as the "FedEx" of the U.S. national security apparatus, describing Blackwater as a "robust temp agency."

Grand Jury Probes Blackwater Shootings
Washington Post - 5/28/2008
At least three Iraqis appeared yesterday before a federal grand jury hearing evidence in the September shootings in Baghdad by Blackwater Worldwide security guards that left 17 Iraqis dead.

Blackwater grand jury hears from Iraqi witnesses
AP - 5/27/2008
Three Iraqis, including the father of a slain 9-year-old boy, appeared Tuesday before a federal grand jury investigating a deadly Sept. 16 shooting in Baghdad involving Blackwater Worldwide contractors.

Blackwater Growth Plan Strikes Obstacles
Wall Street Journal - 5/20/2008
Blackwater Worldwide's struggle to win local approval for a new training center in San Diego shows the private security company faces roadblocks as it tries to expand amid scrutiny of its controversial work protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq.

US military court-martialing civilian contractor Ali while DOJ slumbers
JURIST - 5/19/2008
The U.S. military in Iraq is quickly moving toward its first court-martial of a civilian contractor since the Vietnam war. The case holds some promise of beginning to reign in a pervasive culture of contractor impunity, but nevertheless raises important constitutional and human rights issues. And the case begs a critical question too: Why is the Justice Department not prosecuting it?

Hold Private Guards Liable for Misdeeds
Miami Herald - 5/19/2008
In Iraq, there are more private civilian contractors in the country -- many of them armed -- than there are U.S. military troops. But there is a big difference. When a soldier breaks the law, he is held accountable under U.S. military codes. When a private contractor breaks the law, there is no clear legal accountability. That is unacceptable.

Probe of Iraq Shooting by Contractor Moves Forward
AP - 5/16/2008
A Justice Department team has traveled to Iraq to investigate the fatal shooting of an Iraqi guard by a security contractor, hastening the resolution of questions about whether U.S. attorneys can prosecute him, an official said Thursday.

Blackwater’s Impunity
New York Times - 5/16/2008
After guards from Blackwater Worldwide protecting a State Department convoy killed at least 17 Iraqis in a hail of bullets last September, we hoped the Bush administration would rethink the folly of relying on mercenaries, who have no accountability to Iraqi or American law.

Iraq Contractor in Shooting Case Makes Comeback
New York Times - 5/10/2008
The State Department has just renewed its contract to provide security for American diplomats in Iraq for at least another year. Threats by the Iraqi government to strip Western contractors of their immunity from Iraqi law have gone nowhere. No charges have been brought in the United States against any Blackwater guard in the September shooting, either, and the F.B.I. agents in Baghdad charged with investigating whether Blackwater guards have committed any crimes under United States law are sometimes protected as they travel through Baghdad by Blackwater guards.

Blackwater Unlikely to Face Charges in Iraq Shooting
AP - 5/9/2008
Blackwater Worldwide, the security contractor blamed by an angry Iraqi government for the shooting deaths of 17 civilians, is not expected to face criminal charges - all but ensuring the company will keep its multimillion-dollar contract to protect U.S. diplomats.

Iraqi Alleges Abu Ghraib Torture, Sues US Contractors
AP - 5/6/2008
An Iraqi man sued two U.S. military contractors, claiming he was repeatedly tortured while being held at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison for more than 10 months.

Former Abu Ghraib Prisoner Accuses CACI, L-3 of Torture in Suit
Bloomberg - 5/6/2008
A blacksmith who claims he was tortured at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq sued CACI International Inc. and L-3 Communications Holdings Inc., which provide services to the U.S. military.

Blackwater Shooting Highlights a U.S., Iraq Culture Clash
Los Angeles Times - 5/4/2008
Relatives of those killed in September by U.S. contractors are insulted by the compensation offers. In their justice system, an apology comes first.

U.S. Seeks Contractors To Train Iraqi Military
Washington Post - 5/4/2008
U.S. commanders in Iraq are for the first time seeking private contractors to form part of the small military teams that train and live with Iraqi military units across the country, according to a notice for prospective bidders published last week.

Iraqis Accuse Blackwater of Shredding Documents
AP - 4/26/2008
Families of Iraqis who died in a shooting involving Blackwater Worldwide contractors accused the company Friday of shredding documents and destroying evidence.

Canadian Translator Assigned to U.S. Forces at Centre of Case Over Right to Prosecute Civilians
Globe and Mail, Canada - 4/18/2008
A Canadian charged by the U.S. forces in Baghdad after a knife fight with a colleague is expected to play a key role in a looming legal battle over the military's right to prosecute civilians.

U.S. Military Holds Hearing in First Contractor Case
Reuters - 4/15/2008
The U.S. military held a pre-trial hearing on Tuesday for an interpreter accused of a stabbing in Iraq, the first attempt to apply military law to civilian contractors working for U.S. forces in Iraq.

Contract Justice
The Nation - 4/6/2008
For the first time since 1968, the Pentagon has charged a civilian contractor under military law. But the individual in question is not one of the Blackwater "shooters" alleged to have gunned down seventeen Iraqi civilians in Baghdad's Nisour Square last September, nor is it the Blackwater contractor accused of shooting to death a bodyguard to the Iraqi vice president inside the Green Zone on Christmas Eve 2006. In fact, the contractor is not even a US citizen. Nor is he an armed contractor. And the crime in question was not committed against an Iraqi civilian.

Military Role Overseeing Contractors Tested in Iraq
New York Times - 4/6/2008
The lawyer for a civilian contractor charged with assault said on Saturday that he planned to challenge the American military’s jurisdiction over the case.

Iraqi Contractor Charged Under New Law
AP - 4/5/2008
A civilian contractor working for the U.S. military in Iraq was charged with aggravated assault under military law, the first such prosecution since the Vietnam War, the U.S. command said Saturday.

U.S. Charges Contractor at Iraq Post in Stabbing
New York Times - 4/5/2008
The American military has charged a contractor with assault in a case that may emerge as a major test of the military’s legal jurisdiction over civilians who accompany the armed forces into the field, military officials and legal experts said Friday.

State Extends Blackwater's Deal a Year
AP - 4/4/2008
Amid investigations into fatal shootings of civilians and allegations of tax violations, Blackwater USA's multimillion-dollar contract to protect diplomats in Baghdad has been renewed, the State Department said Friday.

Blackwater VP: Too soon to judge Baghdad shootings
Reuters - 4/3/2008
A top official in the U.S. private security firm Blackwater said on Thursday it was too soon to pass judgment on the killing of 17 Iraqi civilians by its employees last September and urged critics to await an FBI report.

Blackwater 'Blood Money' Angers Iraqis
ABC News - 3/20/2008
At least two Iraqi families of victims killed by Blackwater security guards in September tell ABC News they have refused compensation offered by the company.

Blackwater: US Security Firm in Iraq Shooting Claim Looks for Peace Work
Times Online, UK - 3/19/2008
Blackwater Worldwide, the private security company whose guards are accused of shooting dead 17 Iraqi civilians last year, is attempting to reposition itself as a peacekeeping force as work in Iraq begins to dry up.

Clinton Would Ban Armed Private Military Contractors in Iraq
Bloomberg - 3/17/2008
Hillary Clinton, in a speech marking the five-year anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, said that if elected, she would pull armed private contractors from that country as well as U.S. troops.

U.N. Urges Iraq to Address Human Rights During Lull
New York Times - 3/16/2008
Among the concerns cited in the report were an increase in the number of juveniles held in detention, the so-called honor killings of women in the northern region of Kurdistan, the killing of civilians by private security contractors — among them, the shooting of 17 Iraqis by employees of Blackwater in Nisour Square in September — and “continuing reports of the widespread and routine torture or ill treatment of detainees, particularly those being held in pretrial detention facilities.”

Clinton Supports Bill to Ban Use of State Department Private Security Contractors
GovernmentExecutive.com - 3/3/2008
Sen. Hillary Clinton has signed on as the first co-sponsor of a bill that would ban the use of all State Department private security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill could create a wedge issue with her chief rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who does not support the measure.

Iraqi Shooting Witnesses Interviewed
AP - 2/29/2008
The Justice Department appears to be gathering testimony from Iraqi witnesses for a possible trial of Blackwater Worldwide security guards over a 2007 shooting in Baghdad that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead.

Iraq Rewards Trump Risks for Job Seekers
AP - 2/28/2008
Help wanted: possibly life-threatening risks, little freedom outside work, long hours but competitive pay. Must be willing to relocate to Iraq.

Blackwater Inquiry Turns to Baghdad
AP - 2/21/2008
Federal authorities investigating Blackwater Worldwide contractors are returning to Baghdad this week to revisit the scene of a deadly September shooting that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead.

German Arms Firm Ends Blackwater Deal After TV Report
Deutsche Welle, Germany - 2/19/2008
Weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch said it would end its relationship with Blackwater after German media reported that the controversial US-run military firm was using its guns in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Miliband Urged To Regulate Private Military
Guardian, UK - 2/18/2008
David Miliband, the foreign secretary, today faces a legal challenge over the government's failure to introduce a law to regulate private military and security companies. The move, by lawyers acting for the charity War on Want, follows an increasing number of reports of human rights abuse by employees of foreign companies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Foreign Guards in Iraq Work in Legal Grey Area
Reuters - 2/17/2008
Foreign private security companies in Iraq are operating in a legal grey area that means their victims have little recourse to justice despite U.S. steps to increase supervision, contractors and lawyers say.

Will Contractors Lose Iraq Immunity?
TIME - 2/13/2008
The days of legal immunity for civilian contractors in Iraq may be numbered, as Washington and Baghdad prepare to renegotiate a long-term bilateral security agreement. Ahead of negotiations on the issue, which could begin in two weeks, the Bush Administration is trying to hammer out its positions on key issues such as authority over combat operations and detentions, as well as other elements of the mission over the next 24 months and beyond. And top of the list of deal-breakers for the Iraqis, is contractor immunity.

CIA Likely Let Contractors Perform Waterboarding
Wall Street Journal - 2/8/2008
The CIA's secret interrogation program has made extensive use of outside contractors, whose role likely included the waterboarding of terrorist suspects, according to testimony yesterday from the CIA director and two other people familiar with the program.

Blackwater Key to US-Iraq Talks: Ambassador
AFP - 2/5/2008
The status and role of private security firms like Blackwater in Iraq is central to upcoming talks between Washington and Baghdad, Iraqi ambassador to the US Samir Sumaidaie said Tuesday.

Iraq Security Guards Getting New Rules
AP - 1/30/2008
Under pressure to exercise greater control over private security contractors in Iraq, Bush administration officials outlined stricter rules for these armed guards during a three-hour meeting Wednesday at the Pentagon with 20 companies.

U.S. Officials to Discuss Oversight
Wall Street Journal - 1/29/2008
In a sign that U.S. officials are taking a stronger hand in managing private security companies in Iraq, officials from the Pentagon and the State Department have called a meeting with top security company executives as part of a recent push to increase oversight and coordination.

Senators to Press for War Contract Panel
AP - 1/29/2008
Lawmakers say they will push ahead with a presidential commission designed to root out waste and fraud in military contracts despite President Bush's concerns that it could usurp his authority.

Iraq Contractors Tap Latin America's Needy
Los Angeles Times - 1/28/2008
In the United States, Calixto might be under treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in Iraq, receiving daily physical therapy and counseling. Here he's an unemployed street vendor, renting a spartan room and struggling to recover physically and emotionally from severe shrapnel wounds.

U.S. Cannot Manage Contractors In Wars, Officials Testify on Hill
Washington Post - 1/25/2008
With even more U.S. contractors now in Iraq and Afghanistan than U.S. military personnel, government officials told Congress yesterday that the Bush administration is not prepared to manage the contractors' critical involvement in the American war effort.

U.S. Asking Iraq for Wide Rights on War
New York Times - 1/25/2008
With its international mandate in Iraq set to expire in 11 months, the Bush administration will insist that the government in Baghdad give the United States broad authority to conduct combat operations and guarantee civilian contractors specific legal protections from Iraqi law, according to administration and military officials.

Blackwater Hits Wiley Rein With $30 Million Malpractice Suit
Legal Times - 1/24/2008
Blackwater Security filed a $30 million malpractice suit against Wiley Rein on Wednesday, alleging that the firm made costly missteps in a wrongful death case brought on behalf of four former Blackwater employees who were killed in Iraq in 2004.

Will Blackwater Be Rehired?
Time - 1/23/2008
Regardless of the outcome of various legal proceedings against Blackwater, the controversial security firm potentially faces a massive business setback this coming May. That's when its State Department contract to protect U.S. diplomats in Iraq comes up for renewal, and its hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for the company are no longer a sure thing in light of the legal and political repercussions of two recent incidents in which Blackwater guards allegedly killed Iraqis.

Contractor Abuses Rarely Punished, Groups Say
IPS, Italy - 1/21/2008
Out of the dozens upon dozens of reports of abuses by private contractors as part of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, only one prosecution of a contractor has taken place. This, says a new report from Human Rights First, epitomises the woefully insufficient response by the U.S. government to hold private contactors accountable for abuses against local nationals.

US Gives Immunity to Guards Who Killed 17 Iraqis
Herald, UK - 1/21/2008
Mercenary guards who killed 17 Iraqi civilians when they opened fire on traffic in a busy Baghdad square last September are likely to escape trial or prosecution because of loopholes in US law.

From Texas to Iraq, and Center of Blackwater Case
New York Times - 1/19/2008
Today, Mr. Slough, 28, is at the center of a federal investigation into the Sept. 16 shooting deaths of 17 Iraqis in Baghdad by a convoy of Blackwater security guards. Authorities have refused to talk about the inquiry, except to say it has focused on one guard, identified only as “turret gunner No. 3.”

Human Rights group: End 'Culture of Impunity' for Security Contractors
GovernmentExecutive.com - 1/18/2008
A human rights organization is calling for the expansion and implementation of laws to hold private security contractors accountable in war zones. Human Rights First issued a report this week making recommendations on how to end what it called a "culture of impunity."

Politics Shielding Contractors, Rights Group Says
Detroit Free Press - 1/17/2008
An international human-rights group said Wednesday that a lack of political will, not a fuzzy legal framework, was primarily to blame for the dearth of prosecutions of private security contractors accused of abuses in Iraq.

Group Seeks Prosecution of Contractors
The Hill - 1/17/2008
An independent human rights group is criticizing the Bush administration for failing to hold private security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan criminally responsible for acts of violence and abuse.

Report Says Iraq Contractors Operate With Impunity
Voice of America - 1/17/2008
A report issued by a U.S.-based human rights group is criticizing the Justice Department for failing to hold private security contractors operating in Iraq and Afghanistan responsible for acts of violence.

Report: US Fails At Enforcing Prosecution of Contractors
Guardian Unlimited, UK - 1/16/2008
The US government has the legal authority to prosecute private contractors for crimes they commit in Iraq but often declines to use it, according to a report released today by a leading human rights group.

Justice Dept. Cites Obstacles in Blackwater Case
New York Times - 1/16/2008
Justice Department officials have told Congress that they face serious legal difficulties in pursuing criminal prosecutions of Blackwater security guards involved in a September shooting that left at least 17 Iraqis dead.

FBI finds Blackwater trucks patched
AP - 1/13/2008
Blackwater Worldwide repaired and repainted its trucks immediately after a deadly September shooting in Baghdad, making it difficult to determine whether enemy gunfire provoked the attack, according to people familiar with the government's investigation of the incident.

Ex-Blackwater Employees Sentenced
AP - 1/10/2008
Two former employees of Blackwater Worldwide, the beleaguered contractor whose practices in Iraq are under federal scrutiny, were sentenced to probation Thursday on gunrunning charges.

2005 Use of Gas by Blackwater Leaves Questions
New York Times - 1/10/2008
Suddenly, on that May day in 2005, the copter dropped CS gas, a riot-control substance the American military in Iraq can use only under the strictest conditions and with the approval of top military commanders. An armored vehicle on the ground also released the gas, temporarily blinding drivers, passers-by and at least 10 American soldiers operating the checkpoint.

Private Security Contractors Look To Africa For Recruits
Christian Science Monitor - 1/8/2008
Human rights activist Phil ya Nangolo started hearing rumors in the fall about an American security group opening shop here, with plans to recruit thousands of former Namibian soldiers to work in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sources: Charges against Blackwater guards debated
AP - 9/16/2007
Defense attorneys for Blackwater Worldwide employees are trying to head off Justice Department charges against the company's bodyguards who were involved in the deadly shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians exactly one year ago.