Blackwater era ending in Iraq

[sabra]

Source: CNN

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The troubled Blackwater era ends in Iraq on Thursday as another firm takes over the once-dominant company's security services contract in Baghdad.

Triple Canopy, a Herndon, Virginia-based company, picks up the expiring contract of the security firm formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide, which changed its name to XE a few months ago. The U.S. State Department decided not to renew XE's contract in January.

"When the U.S. government initially asked for our help to assist with an immediate need to protect Americans in Iraq, we answered that call and performed well," XE spokeswoman Anne Tyrell said in a statement Wednesday. "But we always knew that, at some point, that work would come to a close."

The end of the contract followed the Iraqi government's refusal to renew the firm's operating license because of a September 2007 shooting in which Baghdad says security guards -- then employed by Blackwater -- killed 17 Iraqi civilians.

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/05/07/iraq.blackwater/

[dipsydoodle]

1. What's the betting

that Triple Canopy is almost wholly staffed by ex - Blackwater employees.

[dipsydoodle]

6. I was wrong

Iraq will not allow previous Blackwater employees to work there for other companies.

See :

A report in the New York Times on April 3, valued Triple Canopy's new contract at 977 million dollars. The paper also said that many of the company's guards were likely to be former Blackwater employees.

But Interior Ministry spokesman major General Abdul Karim Khalaf told AFP Blackwater guards would be denied work in Iraq.

"There is no way that former Blackwater guards will be allowed to return to Iraq with a different company," he told AFP.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090507/ts_alt_afp/iraqunrestussecurityblackwater_20090507151025

[pinniped]

7. Sure. The wannabe Iraqi .gov has access to files of Blackwater personnel....

to cross-check with Triple Canopy's employees.

This is just as silly as the IRaqi .gov claiming to pull their operating license. Blackwater was in the country so fast they didn't even have time to print a license up for them.

B.S.

[bobthedrummer]

2. "US Security Firm Blackwater Ends Iraq Operation" (AFP via CommonDreams)

US security firm Blackwater ended its operations in Iraq on Thursday closing a controversial era for the company whose guards shot dead 17 civilians in Baghdad in 2007.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/05/07-0

Mercenaries are sticking to using other terms like "security firm" or "peacekeepers" to describe their "operations".

[FailureToCommunicate]

3. They are only called "mercenaries" because WE PAY THEM to be there, whatever company it is...

[Winterblues]

4. Don't fret they are doing quite well in Afghanistan

I am sure they will get in on some Pakistan action as well.. They are done in Iraq but they are not done.

[VWolf]

5. ... and beginning in the USA

These guys won't go away. Plenty of "private security" work to be found here.

[NeoConsSuck]

8. Hey, thanks for the memories! (nt)