Iraq to review all security firms
Blackwater guards in Baghdad (2005)
As many as 20,000 private security contractors are working in Iraq
Iraq has said it will review the status of all private security firms operating in the country after a gunfight in Baghdad left eight civilians dead.
The Iraqi government said it wanted to determine whether such contractors were operating in compliance with Iraqi law.
The review comes a day after the Iraqi authorities ordered the US-based firm, Blackwater USA, to suspend all operations and leave Iraq immediately.
Blackwater has said its guards acted in self-defence in Sunday's incident.
But the Iraqi interior ministry has claimed the men fired "randomly at citizens" in a crowded square in the capital, killing innocent bystanders and a policeman.
The Blackwater guards were protecting a convoy carrying officials from the US state department at the time.
Unclear status
The Iraqi government's spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, said its decision to review the status of Private Security Companies (PSCs) was prompted by the "flagrant assault... on Iraqi citizens" on Sunday.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7000642.stm