In the News

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.