Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Blackwater killed 14 Iraqis without cause: FBI report

AFP , November 14, 2007

WASHINGTON (AFP) - - FBI investigators have found that Blackwater guards shot 14 people with no justification in the controversial September 16 incident in Baghdad, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

Seventeen people were killed in the incident, in which Blackwater private security guards opened fire in a crowded Baghdad neighborhood as they protected a State Department convoy. Blackwater said the guards came under attack.

At least 14 of the shootings broke rules for private security guards in Iraq regarding the use of deadly force, the Times reported, citing unnamed civilian and military officials briefed on the case.

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents said the shootings were unjustified, the Times reported.

The FBI investigation into the incident has not concluded, but the findings are being reviewed by US Justice Department officials, the Times reports.

No comments: