As I stated before, Blackwater USA (a private branch of security contractors operating in Iraq) were accused of slaughtering seventeen Iraqi civilians while escorting a convoy US official vehicles to Baghdad.
Today, the State Department granted Blackwater immunity from prosecution for the incident. That’s right…Blackwater isn’t going to be seeing any type of punishment. A senior law enforcement official said, “Once you grant immunity, you can’t take it away.”
Is it me, or do this seem a little odd? Well, FBI agents returned from Baghdad earlier tonight (Monday), trying to collect evidence of the shootings. Most officials having anything to do with the case declined to comment.
Sen. Barrack Obama, D-III., wrote a letter to Condoleezza Rice expressing his dismay over the immunity grant. Rice was asked if she knew of the immunity grant before hand; if the FBI and justice department were consulted; if she agreed to the immunity grants.
Barrack Obama wants to pass a bill enabling federal law to affect private security contractors in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is signing a draft that would force the State Department to replace Blackwater with a different security contractor.
Some people believe that Blackwater has been or is in the process of being removed entirely from Iraq.
This is clearly a twisted situation!