![]() governing authority in Iraq that was dissolved more than two years prior. Secondly, the murky legal status of the contractors meant they might be considered exempt from Iraqi law because of a mandate left over from the Coalition Provisional Authority, the U.S. officials in Iraq, Blackwater had no license with the Iraqi government. But there were two problems: Despite its mission of guarding U.S. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called the killings a crime, announcing that his government was pulling Blackwater’s license to operate in Iraq and would prosecute any foreign contractors found to have been involved in the killings. The only thing agreed upon is the consequences: After a reported 20 Iraqi civilians were killed, including the couple and their child, who was subsequently burned to the mother’s body after the car caught fire, the Iraqi government and populace exploded with anger. governments have launched separate investigations, likely ensuring that the differing versions of the story will never meet. There are also reports that one Blackwater employee may even have pointed his weapon at his fellow contractors, in an effort to get them to cease firing. Other Iraqi security forces and Blackwater quick-reaction forces soon reportedly joined the battle. At some point in the 20-minute gunfight, Iraqi police and army forces stationed in watchtowers above the square also began firing. Iraqi police and witnesses instead report that the contractors opened fire first, shooting at a small car driven by a couple with their child that did not get out of the convoy’s way as traffic slowed. ![]() Employees from the firm claim they were attacked by gunmen and responded within the rules of engagement, fighting their way out of the square after one of their vehicles was disabled. But versions of what caused the ensuing bloodshed diverge. ![]() 16, 2007, a convoy of Blackwater contractors guarding State Department employees entered a crowded square near the Mansour district in Baghdad, Iraq. ![]()
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