WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- The four contractors killed in Fallujah in 2004 -- an incident that heavily influenced the Iraq insurgency -- were led into a trap, according to a new book.
In "Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror," author Robert Young Pelton writes that the four Blackwater contractors who were mutilated, burned and strung from a bridge in March 2004 were led into the ambush by two trucks full of men in the uniform of the Iraq Civil Defense Corps, a now-disbanded part of the new Iraqi security forces.
The attack on the security workers prompted U.S. authorities to order a U.S. Marine attack on the city, which was later halted then called off, as the fear of civilian casualties grew.
The 1st Marine Division was ordered to strike a withdrawal deal with Fallujah's leaders, which resulted in the city becoming a no-go zone for U.S. troops. It then became a home base for Iraq's Sunni insurgent leaders and al-Qaida in Iraq. It was finally taken by force in November 2004, in one of the largest battles of the occupation phase of the war.
Citing Blackwater officials and a company investigation, Pelton says the Blackwater contractors were stopped at an ICDC checkpoint and then offered an escort through the notoriously lawless town. They took the escort, but stopped to ask directions once. They were killed minutes later.
