Originally Posted By: whomod
Wow. This is big. Kiss another no-bid mercenary force goodbye.

 Quote:
Iraq expels American security firm

By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer 26 minutes ago
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi government Monday ordered Blackwater USA, the security firm that protects U.S. diplomats, to stop work and leave the country after the fatal shooting of eight Iraqi civilians following a car bomb attack against a State Department convoy.

The order by the Interior Ministry, if carried out, would deal a severe blow to U.S. government operations in Iraq by stripping diplomats, engineers, reconstruction officials and others of their security protection.

The presence of so many visible, aggressive Western security contractors has angered many Iraqis, who consider them a mercenary force that runs roughshod over people in their own country.

Sunday's shooting was the latest in a series of incidents in which Blackwater and other foreign contractors have been accused of shooting to death an unknown number of Iraqi citizens. None has faced charges or prosecution.


Yeah, it's a blow to our security situation. But why was an unaccountable mercenary force allowed to operate indiscrimately in Iraq to begin with?


You neglected to mention, Whomod, that virtually all of these private security forces were reinstated, after a few days of negotiation with the Iraqi government. Which would indicate that they're not this terrible disruptive trigger-happy force in Iraq that you allege.

While I agree with you that accountability is good (i.e., external investigation), you make these private security forces sound like Nazi storm troopers.

Whereas, in truth, most of them are former U.S. military personnel who took these private defense jobs. So they bring a considerable amount of training and discipline to their jobs.