U.S. clears Blackwater in 3 Iraqi deaths

BAGHDAD, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. government countered Iraqi claims that employees with Blackwater USA fired “without any provocation” on Iraqi guards, killing three.

The U.S. government said employees with the security contractor Blackwater USA acted “within approved rules governing the use of force” after responding to alleged small arms fire associated with the Iraqi Media Network headquarters, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

A statement from Blackwater USA said its contractors were protecting a U.S. diplomat at the Iraqi Justice Ministry located near the Iraqi Media Network.

Iraqi accounts of the incident describe the shootings as “an act of terrorism” and concluded Blackwater employees fired “without any provocation.”

Anne E. Tyrrell, a Blackwater spokeswoman, told the Post the contractors came under "precision small-arms fire" and responded with "well-aimed shots."

"This was absolutely a provoked incident," Tyrrell said.

Security contractors are permitted to use force in the face of “imminent and grave danger” and the legal framework established in Iraq by the interim coalition government grants private contractors immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law.