IRAQ:The Iraqi government has demanded that Blackwater Worldwide, the private security firm that guards top US diplomats in Iraq, be expelled from the country within six months and pay $8 million in compensation to the family of every civilian its employees are accused of killing last month, Iraqi officials have said.
The demands were contained in a report prepared by Iraqi investigators inquiring into the shooting in Baghdad, in which they said 17 Iraqis were killed after Blackwater guards opened fire without provocation. The findings were described by Iraqi officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report has not been made public.
The September 16th incident sparked widespread outrage across Iraq and prompted heightened scrutiny in Baghdad and in the US of shootings by foreign security firms that have left scores of Iraqis dead.
Blackwater spokeswoman Anne E Tyrrell said she hoped no decisions would be made until an investigation by the FBI was completed. The company has said its guards opened fire after they came under attack.
When asked what Blackwater would do if the US embassy asked it to comply with the Iraqi demands, Ms Tyrrell said they "would do anything the US government asked us to do". -