Witnesses contradict Blackwater case info

BAGHDAD, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Three new witnesses have contradicted Blackwater guards' stance that they were forced to open fire in a Baghdad intersection after being fired upon.

The witnesses, who were on a nearby rooftop at the time of last month's deadly shooting, have alleged the members of the U.S. military contractor opened fire in Baghdad's Nisour Square without being provoked with gunfire, The New York Times reported Saturday.

"I call it a massacre," witness Omar H. Waso said of the event that left 17 Iraqis dead. "It is illegal. They used the law of the jungle."

The witnesses' stance appeared to be supported by the initial findings of several U.S. soldiers who arrived on-scene shortly after the deadly incident took place, the Times said.

The U.S. troops reportedly did not find any shell casings in or around the intersection that would match those guns typically used by regional insurgents or security personnel.

The soldiers had said that after the Sept. 16 shootings the only shell casings they could locate were those typically used by U.S. contractors such as Blackwater.