Blackwater contractors may be charged

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Six Blackwater Worldwide contractors have been notified they are targets of a U.S. investigation into the killing of 17 Iraqis, The Washington Post reports.

The target letters suggest at least some of the six face criminal indictments, sources told the Post. All are U.S. military veterans.

The shootout in Nisoor Square in Baghdad in September outraged Iraqis. While Blackwater officials say the employees fired in self-defense, an Iraqi government investigation found the shooting was unjustified. All the dead were civilians.

Blackwater has been employed to protect State Department and other U.S. officials. But at the time of the shooting, the convoy consisted only of Blackwater employees.

Employees of private security firms have been protected from prosecution in Iraq, something the Iraqi government wants to change. Sources told the Post the Justice Department is likely to bring charges under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, although that is likely to be challenged.