Joint US, Iraqi team holds first meeting to probe Blackwater”s incident

BAGHDAD, Oct 7 (KUNA) — A joint Iraqi-US committee held Sunday its first meeting to probe the incident that involved killing 11 Iraqis last September 16 by employees of the US Blackwater security company.
Speaking to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Iraqi cabinet spokesman Dr. Ali Al-Dabbagh said such meetings were technical in nature as they handled the incident’s details, arising circumstances and statements of eyewitnesses.
He noted that Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qader Al-Obaidi was representing his nation in these talks.
According to a press release issued by the US Embassy in Baghdad and Iraqi Defense Ministry, today’s meeting was headed by Al-Obaidi and the embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission Patricia A. Butenis.
The release said “mutual commitment of the Iraqi government and the US government to work together to evaluate issues of safety and security related to personal security detail operations in Iraq.” The commission is expected to issue recommendations to both Baghdad and Washington on improving Iraqi and US security procedures with the aim of “ensuring that personal security detail operations do not endanger public safety” and prevent similar incidents in the future.
Both sides have agreed to maintain coordination and continue investigations to prevent such incidents from taking place ever again.
As the Iraqi government revealed the findings of its probe today, Al-Dabbagh told KUNA that the Blackwater’s employees were not fired at by anyone.
He affirmed that the company’s workers were fully liable for the incident as they used excessive force and neglected guidelines for the conduct of security firms operating in Iraq.
What they did was the crime of murder against innocent Iraqis and the government will take its legal measures while considering the joint commission’s findings, he explained.
He said the operations of such companies were being examined to ensure abidance by Iraqi laws.
Blackwater will soon be summoned before an Iraqi court, he said.(