Iraq says Blackwater banned after shooting

BAGHDAD, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Iraqi officials said they would withdraw the license of U.S. private military contractor Blackwater and start criminal proceedings against its staff.

The move follows an incident Sunday in which a U.S. State Department motorcade protected by the firm apparently came under attack, and contractors "escalated the force to defend themselves," an unidentified U.S. Embassy official in Baghdad told The Washington Post.

A Post employee reportedly saw security company helicopters firing into the streets, an attack that Interior Ministry officials said killed nine people and wounded 13. Later reports put the death toll as high as 11.

Iraqi state television reported Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki condemned the "criminal operation" and said he would "punish" the company and shut down its operations.

Iraqi Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, an Interior Ministry spokesman, said the company's permit to operate had been withdrawn and a criminal investigation was underway.

"The security company contractors opened fire randomly on the civilians," he said. "We consider this act a crime."

But it was unclear Monday whether Blackwater had or required a license to operate, since the contractors work for the U.S. State Department.

Former senior State Department official Larry Johnson wrote in his blog No Quarter Monday, “Blackwater does not have a license to operate in Iraq and does not need one. They have a U.S. State Department contract through (the Bureau of) Diplomatic Security.”

U.S. State Department security staff, whose duties Blackwater contractors perform in Iraq, typically enjoy the same immunities accorded to all foreign diplomats.

Doug Brooks, president of The International Peace Operations Association, representing private companies involved in peacekeeping and low-intensity conflict operations around the world, said that U.S. law gave jurisdiction to federal law enforcement.

Blackwater representatives didn't return phone calls or e-mail messages requesting comment.