Rubber-Stamping ‘Failed’ Iraq Projects

Staff / Truthdig Apr 28, 2008 The special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction has found a disturbing trend among Iraq rebuilding projects. Far too often, when work is incomplete, U.S. officials will revise or "descope" the terms of the contract to list the project as completed. One example: A $35-million children's hospital in Basra that is marked completed despite the fact that it's only 35 percent up and running. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

FBI Blames Blackwater in 14 Civilian Deaths

Staff / Truthdig Nov 15, 2007 The FBI, which is still investigating Blackwater's Sept. 16 killing rampage in Baghdad, has determined that at least 14 of the 17 shootings were unjustified and in violation of deadly-force rules. The Justice Department is looking into whether to press charges, if it even has the authority, which means that Blackwater could very well get away with murder. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Rice Takes a Licking in Congress

Staff / Truthdig Oct 26, 2007 Typically cool as a cucumber, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice struggled to hold it together Thursday as members of the House Oversight Committee let her have it on everything from the enormous, expensive and incomplete U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to Blackwater's killing spree. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Li’l Happy Logos

Mark Fiore / Truthdig Oct 25, 2007 <!--Truthdig is pleased to announce the addition of Mark Fiore to our lineup of regular cartoonists You probably know Mark's work from around the Web, but in case you don't, here are one or two examples of his instantly classic animations-->. Dig deeper

A State Dept. Band-Aid for Blackwater Problem

Staff / Truthdig Oct 24, 2007 The State Department will implement new measures to guard against a repeat of last month's Blackwater slaughter of 17 Iraqi civilians, but some of the new rules, including more cultural awareness training, feel like a Band-Aid on a serious head wound. In addressing this issue, the Iraqi government has chosen to make a point of its sovereignty, and so far the U.S. has done little to allay the Iraqi concerns. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Iraq Demands Blackwater Exit Strategy

Staff / Truthdig Oct 9, 2007 Iraqi authorities have given the U.S. six months to cut ties with Blackwater, and are demanding custody of the private security guards who, according to a government investigation, recklessly opened fire on Iraqi civilians while escorting a State Department convoy. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush’s Advisers

Patrick Chappatte, NZZ am Sonntag Oct 9, 2007 Dig deeper

Congress Tries to Close Blackwater Loophole

Staff / Truthdig Oct 5, 2007 The House voted 389 to 30 to pass a bill that would make private contractors working for the U.S. government in Iraq subject to United States law. It's the second time Congress has attempted to apply some sense to the legal vacuum created by the Bush administration and its Coalition Provisional Authority, which pushed through what amounts to blanket immunity for mercenaries. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Report Points to Blackwater’s Excessive Violence

Staff / Truthdig Oct 2, 2007 According to a devastating new report from the House Oversight Committee, Blackwater USA employees engaged in at least 195 "escalation of force" incidents since 2005, with the private security firm firing 80 percent of the first shots (despite its purely defensive mandate). What's worse, the State Department has provided little if any oversight, instead assisting the company as it carried out damage control. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Security Crew in Deadly Baghdad Shootout

Staff / Truthdig Sep 17, 2007 Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other officials have condemned the actions of security contractors who were guarding a State Department convoy that came under fire in downtown Baghdad on Sunday. The unnamed contractors are accused of firing indiscriminately and escalating the violence, which killed nine civilians. Update: The security firm in question was Blackwater USA. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Contractors Outnumber U.S. Troops in Iraq

Staff / Truthdig Jul 5, 2007 According to data from the State and Defense departments, there are more than 180,000 civilian contractors on America's payroll in Iraq That's about a surge's worth more than the current troop count, and it doesn't fully include private security contractors The L Times takes an exhaustive look at the "coalition of the billing". Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Blackwater Opens Fire in Baghdad

Staff / Truthdig May 29, 2007 Security contractor Blackwater USA was involved in two shootings in Baghdad last week. After firing on and killing an Iraqi driver, Blackwater guards found themselves in a standoff with heavily armed Iraqi Interior Ministry forces. A senior U.S. adviser said Iraq-American relations at the ministry have suffered greatly since the incident. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )