Iraq:An FBI investigation has concluded that at least 14 of the 17 Iraqi civilians killed by Blackwater security personnel on September 16th were shot without justification, according to a report in the New York Times.
Investigators found at least five Blackwater security guards fired on civilians, which led the Iraqi government to withdraw Blackwater's operating license.
The investigation is still under way but justice department officials have been briefed on its progress and on its likely conclusion that Blackwater staff used reckless force. The New York Timessays investigators believe that three of the 17 killings may have been justified under rules that allow lethal force in response to an imminent threat.
Blackwater guards, who protect state department staff in Baghdad, might have perceived a threat when they fired on a white car that moved towards Nisour Square after traffic had been stopped for a Blackwater convoy.
Relatives of the two killed in the car, Ahmed Haithem Ahmed and his mother Mohassin, said they were on an errand when they were shot.
Investigators said Blackwater guards might also have felt endangered by a third Iraqi who was killed near by but they concluded that the subsequent shootings of 14 Iraqis, some of whom were fleeing the scene, were unprovoked. A separate military review of the September 16th shootings concluded the killings were unjustified and potentially criminal.
It remains unclear if the killings can be prosecuted under any US law but David Price, a North Carolina congressman who wants to extend US criminal law to private contractors overseas, said someone must be held accountable for the shootings.
"Just because there are deficiencies in the law, and there certainly are, that can't serve as an excuse for criminal actions like this to be unpunished. I hope the new attorney general makes this case a top priority. He needs to announce to the American people and the world that we uphold the rule of law and we intend to pursue this," he said.
Howard Krongard, the State Department's inspector general, told a congressional committee yesterday that his brother, Alvin "Buzzy" Krongard, had not joined Blackwater Worldwide's advisory board, despite a letter from Blackwater founder Erik Prince inviting him to do so.
Oversight committee chair- man Henry Waxman and others had suggested that Alvin Krongard's ties to Blackwater were the main reason the inspector general sidelined a State Department inquiry into claims Blackwater smuggled weapons into Iraq.
Mr Krongard said if his brother Alvin had or planned to join Blackwater's board, he would recuse himself from any matters involving the firm. "He has told me he does not have any involvement, he does not have any financial interest," he said.
Congressmen told Mr Krongard a meeting of Blackwater's advisory board took place at a Virginia hotel yesterday and his brother was there. Mr Krongrard said his brother may have gone to to decline the invitation.