Iraq plans review of all security firms

BAGHDAD, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- The Iraqi government announced Tuesday it plans a review of all security companies in the country following a shooting involving the U.S. firm Blackwater.

On Monday, the government withdrew Blackwater’s permit to operate in Iraq. Blackwater employees escorting a U.S. State Department convoy shot eight Iraqi civilians Sunday.

A government statement Tuesday called the shooting a “vicious assault which was carried out by the employees of the American security company,” The New York Times reported. But the details of the incident were still unclear.

“There was a firefight,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. “We believe some innocent life was lost. Nobody wants to see that. But I can’t tell you who was responsible for that.”

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior has also said that any Blackwater employees found to have acted improperly should be prosecuted, although a 2004 U.S. law gives private contractors in Iraq immunity.