Blackwater in Baghdad: "It was a horror movie"

I abhor this violence and lawlessness by mercenaries
who are contracted by the US government. Let in not
be said they act in my name~! I also wonder if their
role in the future of American politics will find them
replaying these roles on American soil....

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Blackwater in Baghdad: "It was a horror movie"

Dec. 14, 2007 | For Khalaf, a 38-year-old Iraqi, Sept. 16 started like many other sunny summer workdays. He donned his police uniform -- a white shirt, navy trousers and hat -- and headed to Baghdad's busy Nissour Square. By 7 a.m. he was out in the street, directing the flow of traffic coming from the multi-laned Yarmouk access road into the square. When he spotted four large all-terrain vehicles with guns mounted on top, he did what he always did. He stopped traffic and cleared the area for what he knew, from the tell-tale sign of the two accompanying helicopters, to be a security firm's convoy.

At first, this seemed completely normal for the totally abnormal world of Baghdad in September 2007. "Convoys are common," explained Khalaf. But this convoy made an unexpected U-turn, drove the wrong way around the one-way square, stopped in the middle of it and started shooting. Fifteen minutes later, 17 Iraqi civilians were dead, dozens more wounded, and a white sedan that had been engulfed in flames contained two bodies charred beyond recognition.

"It was a horror movie," said Khalaf, describing the aftermath of the now notorious Blackwater shootings.

the rest of the article~~

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/12/14/blackwater/

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I especially appreciated this sentiment and feel the same~~

One of the men I met in Istanbul wrote me after I returned home. "Conduct our deepest love to all the Americans who support and work hard to stop killing of innocent people all over the world," he said. "Please, we want to live in peace, surrounded by friends not killers."

blessings,
Zoe

-_-


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