State Department repeatedly ignored warnings by diplomats on Blackwater

State Department repeatedly ignored warnings by diplomats on Blackwater
John Byrne
Published: Monday October 8, 2007


The State Department repeatedly ignored warnings from diplomats in the field who maintained that Blackwater's presence and legal immunity was a ticking time bomb, according to an article by Paul Richter in Monday's (registration-restricted) Los Angeles Times.

According to Richter, the State Department overlooked repeated warnings from US diplomats that Blackwater's behavior was endangering civilians and undermining efforts to win over an already beleaguered Iraqi population.

The decision to grant contractors immunity from Iraqi courts was a "bomb that could go off at any time," a former US official told the Times

The House revoked the policy of immunity in a 389-30 vote Thursday.

Janessa Gans, a former US official, wrote an excoriating op-ed about Blackwater in Saturday's edition of the paper. In it she described a "particularly infuriating" incident where a Blackwater SUV crashed into a passenger car to avoid traffic.

"As we approached at typical breakneck speed, the Blackwater driver honked furiously and motioned to the side, as if they should pull over," she penned. "The kids in the back seat looked back in horror, mouths agape at the sight of the heavily armored Suburbans driven by large, armed men in dark sunglasses. The poor Iraqi driver frantically searched for a means of escape, but there was none. So the lead Blackwater vehicle smashed heedlessly into the car, pushing it into the barrier. We zoomed by too quickly to notice if anyone was hurt."


Rest of article at: http://rawstory.com/news/2007/State_Department__1008.html



uhc comment: I was up in Maine last weekend for a vets gathering & missed this.