Here: is some more evidence of what US contractors get up to in Iraq.
URGENT
052300Z JAN 2005
FROM: SEC DIRINTEL TAMPA FL US TO: //DERVISH// BAGHDAD IZ
INFO: //SCORPION SEVEN ONE// BAGHDAD IZ SEC OPS TAMPA FL US
C O N F I D E N T I A L PROPIN
COUNTRY: (U) IRAQ (IZ)
SUBJ: (C/PR) REPORT OF DOUBLE HOMICIDE BY PMC PSD TEAM DEC 2004
IR 00 8 004 0105 1500 05
DOI: (C/PR) [050105] SOURCE: (C/PR) //MAKIDJ//
INSTR: (C/PR) PRIORITY INVESTIGATION DIRECTED.
REPORT TO DIRINTEL VIA OPSO //SCORPION SEVEN ONE//
SUMMARY: (C/PR) //MAKIDJ// FORWARDS INFO REPORTING POSSIBLE DOUBLE HOMICIDE OF UNARMED IRAQI TRUCK DRIVERS BY PMC PSD TEAM OPERATING IRAQ EARLY DEC 2004 WEST-BOUND ON AMMAN- BAGHDAD HIGHWAY NEAR JORDANIAN BORDER.
TEXT: 1. (C/PR) MAKIDJ REPORTS A PSD TEAM WORKING FOR TRIPLE CANOPY, INC. DEPARTED RAMADI EARLY DECEMBER VIA MAIN HIGHWAY TO JORDAN. TEAM CHOSE OVERLAND DEPARTURE DUE TO BIA CLOSURE AT THE TIME. A FEW MILES FROM BORDER CROSSING TEAM ENCOUNTERED TWO IRAQI TRUCKS (W/DRIVERS) ACTING “ERRATIC”. PSD TEAM DECIDED DA WAS NEEDED AND ENGAGED THE TWO VEHICLES WITH OVER 200 ROUNDS OF 5.56, KILLING TWO UNARMED IRAQI MALES. TEAM STOPPED AND TOOK PHOTOGRAPHS, THEN CONTINUED ENROUTE JORDAN BORDER.
2. (C/PR) TEAM WAS STOPPED ON IRAQI SIDE OF BORDER BY ENGLISH-SPEAKING IRAQI CUSTOMS OFFICER. CUSTOMS OFFICER ASKED IF THE TEAM HAD ENCOUNTERED ANY TROUBLE ON THE HIGHWAY. TEAM MEMBERS RESPONDED IN THE NEGATIVE, INDICATING THEY HAD ENCOUNTERED NO PROBLEMS. CUSTOMS OFFICER FURTHER INQUIRED AS TO WHY THERE WAS OVER 100 ROUNDS EXPENDED 5.56 BRASS FOUND AT THE SITE OF A REPORTED “INCIDENT” WHERE TWO IRAQI TRUCK DRIVERS WERE FOUND SPRAWLED ON THE GROUND WITH THEIR HEADS “BLOWN OFF” BY WHAT IS DESCRIBED AS CONTACT WOUNDS TO THE FACE.
3. (U) TEAM WAS HELD AT THE BORDER FOR 9 HOURS WHILE VEHICLES AND GEAR WERE FULLY SEARCHED. NO FURTHER DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE ON WHAT ELSE TRANSPIRED DURING THE SEARCH. APPARENTLY IT WAS RESOLVED IN SOME MANNER AND THE TEAM WAS ALLOWED TO PROCEED ON ITS WAY.
COMMENTS: 1. (C/PR) MAKIDJ DESCRIBES AT LEAST ONE TRIPLE CANOPY, INC. PSD TEAM MEMBER AS “AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAD A SHORT 3 YEAR TOUR IN CONVENTIONAL ARMY AND THEN WENT INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT, UNTIL THIS BIG COWBOY CONTRACTOR OPPORTUNITY CAME ABOUT.”
2. (C) MAKIDJ EXPRESSES GRAVE CONCERN THAT “THESE GUYS WERE ON THE WAY HOME AND DECIDED THAT THEY NEEDED TO KILL A FEW IRAQIS JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT—COWBOYS AND MURDERERS LIKE THESE [EXPLETIVE DELETED] ARE GOING TO UNDERMINE THE ENTIRE EFFORT IN IRAQ. THEY HAVE STAINED THE NAMES OF THE US MILITARY PERSONNEL WHO HAVE BEEN KIA OR WIA IN IRAQ. IF I WAS [IRAQI] I’D BE TRYING TO KILL THESE [EXPLETIVE DELETED] ‘CONTRACTORS’, TOO!”
Of course to discover and report negative news out of Iraq these days sometimes attracts the label ‘anti-American’ when the content does not reflect so well on Uncle Sam. Even war heros such as Congressman Murtha can be labelled as traitors by a Vice President who had five deferments at the time of Vietnam and who had quote ”other priorities” unquote. Be that as it may, for this news, as they said at the time of the UK’s Profumo scandal: ”Nil Combustibus Pro-Fumo”.
If these are non-combatant friendly contractors in Iraq, who needs enemies?
Surely the Bush ‘empire’ in its delusionary vision for Iraq is unravelling faster than you can say ‘WMD’.
In any debate on the war we get the “over 2,000″ killed in Iraq – as if this is the only significant number. Those who have the imagination to understand what is going on must go “2,000 – so what? What about the 100,000 Iraqi’s killed??” We go to great lengths to paint a picture of the brave individuals who go out and fight for our “freedoms”. Some maybe, but many are the sick “professional” butchers we have unleashed onto the world.
In Somalia, 19 US marines died and over 1000 Somalis died. Well, that’s according to the credits of some shithouse film I caught the tail-end of tonight. It is not at all hard to imagine that with superior firepower and the odd airplane the US Army might have accounted for a similar casualty ratio in this war. Throw in the odd bystander or two and you are looking at a big and pretty horrible number of dead here.
And the credits aren’t exactly rolling down the screen yet neither.
You need to watch more dvds, wbb. My flatmate and I watched Strange Days tonight.
I wonder what is the Iraqi record so far of unembedded/embedded (& dead) journalists, around 30:0?
Paying them to write propaganda instead of killing them seems to be the alternate policy since Al Jazeera was driven out of town.
Contractors/civilian deaths = 1:10 per trip? That statistic would be useful.
Where are the apologists for this?
Strange Days – “Rated R for intense disturbing violence, sexuality and pervasive strong language.”
Normal Days around about here.