US diplomatic cables released by whistleblower website WikiLeaks reveal that hundreds of Blackwater employees kept working in Iraq despite Baghdad's ban on their operations in the county.
Another cable from January 11, 2010, which was similarly exposed by the website, said, "The [US] embassy understands that Triple Canopy (another US security firm) currently employs several hundred former Blackwater employees."
Blackwater, which has changed its name to Xe Services, LLC, is notorious for misusing its US State Department-issued gun license as an excuse for committing atrocities.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Sabah Jawad, director of Iraqi Democrats Against Occupation, to discuss the issue further:
Press TV: Who are the Americans trying to deceive, why are they using guards who have committed crimes against the people of Iraq?
Jawad: There are two aspects regarding these Blackwater [operations]. Obviously, the Iraqi government knows about these people operating in the country despite the fact they have changed their name from Blackwater to Xe [Services]. They [Iraqi officials] should know better than allow these people to still operate in Iraq.
The second thing it shows is the total mentality behind the American occupation of Iraq; they have been killing Iraqi people since 2003, and even before that, since they actually began to get involved in the affairs of Iraq and after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. It is total disregard for the lives of innocent people in Iraq and we have many examples that when they (Blackwater employees] are proven to have committed crimes against the Iraqi people, in fact sometimes they are treat as heroes.
We have reports recently in the United States that a couple of guys who used to operate in Iraq are planning for local election and even Congress and they are boating about crimes in Iraq. There is no justice as far as American occupation of Iraq is concerned. The Americans are not subjected international or Iraqi or any law for the matter, even the US's laws.
These people get away with murder and they will continue to do so until the Iraqi government does something about them and we see the back of American occupation in Iraq.
Press TV: What makes Blackwater so important for the Americans, are these so-called security firms going to act as a secret army for the Americans, when they withdraw the bulk of their troops by the year's end?
Jawad: Precisely, because the US doesn't want their official soldiers to get killed in Iraq. They are privatizing their military industry as well. These people are doing the dirty deeds on behalf of the American soldiers and American system as well. We will see more of that, not just in Iraq.
If the Americans have their way, they will utilize these mercenaries everywhere in the world when their interest is threatened. We probably see it in Libya as well in the near future. This is a common practice; the Americans want to recruit these mercenaries and they want them to do their jobs they wanted to do but they are incapable of doing, for example spending a lot of money on occupation and military adventure [but] because of the economic crisis and these people can always pretend that they are not part and parcel of American military machine.
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