Blackwater has been selling weapons to the insurgency? Why does the US have an uncontrollable private army?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070922/ap_on_go_co/us_blackwater_probe

Answer 1

I was doing some reading earlier, maybe you'll find some of this info will be interesting...

Blackwater's primary tasking is to provide security for high-profile US officials. The problem with them is that there's no clear accountability for their actions, such as there would be with a military chain-of command. They are explicitly exempt from Iraq Law with regard to the terms and conditions of their contract. Furthermore, they are explicitly immune from the Iraqi legal process regarding their actions under contract. These exemptions are granted to them under a special edict put in place by Paul Bremmer of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). That wonderful organization that mis-managed and lost billions of Iraqi 'Oil for Food' dollars intended for rebuilding and maintenance of intrastructures.
-- CPA Order 17 (section 4)
http://www.cpa-iraq.org/regulations/20040627_CPAORD_17_Status_of_Coalition__Rev__with_Annex_A.pdf

The best I can tell is that they were designated as a Multination Force (MNF) by the CPA, which in turn gets its authority via UN Security Council Resolutions. In addition, there is no Congressional oversight for Blackwater nor do they fall under the jurisdiction of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). They apparently do fall under the Justice Department, which essentially puts them under control of ... well, you know.
-- Who Will Stop the U.S. Shadow Army in Iraq?
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/30/861/
-- IRAQ: Breaking the Silence
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=13420
-- State Sovereignty and Private Security Companies (lots of related links off this article)
http://globalpolicy.org/nations/sovereign/militaryindex.htm

Answer 2

I would like to see if GW Bush turns a blind eye on this one. For a long time, Bush had been accusing Iran for arming the Iraqi insurgents. Now Bush's own private army (Blackwater) is being investigated for arms dealing to the Iraqi insurgents.

The American War in Iraq is now starting to show its true colors. It's not a war for freedom, democracy, and against terrorism as they claimed. It is really a war to make profits.

Answer 3

If your statement is true, then this contractor is in a lot of trouble. Kindly note that I said contractor, not a special unit of the military, or government operation such as the CIA, or NSA. Blackwater is a contractor hired to do a job. If they are hired by American interests to do a job that the military can not do, then they are just doing a job that they were hired to do. If they can't do the job correctly, then they get fired, or other wise replaced. Blackwater may very well be over stepping their grounds, but in being a contractor hired to do a job does nor make them a private army of the American government. If I understand their role correctly, they are little more than body guards that were caught over stepping their legal bounds. Again, that doesn't make them a private army of anyone. Please, stop being extreme in conclusions or comment, you sound like chicken little.

Answer 4

Without Blackwater and the two other major security groups in Iraq currently we would lose control of Iraq.Blackwater has over 50,000 men in Iraq currently. They have been accused of selling weapons on the black market that ended up in the hands of the insurgency, not the same thing as selling directly to the insurgency.

Answer 5

That's nothing. What do you think Bush is doing with that 100,000 acres of land in South America?

He is training mercenaries from down there who will shoot Americans after the banks collapse.

Bush may not be able to trust Blackwater as the Americans in that force may be unwilling to shoot Americans. But not Blackwater South America, they are dreaming of the day they can come here and shoot Americans and that's exactly what Bush wants, his own Gestapo, his own "Red Guard' His own "Bathist Party members"

if you think Bush will stop short of armed men in over throwing democracy once and for all you are sadly misinformed.

Answer 6

the government has them because there are certain things that the army cannot do without getting in trouble with the rest of the world. so they hire private mercenaries to do the dirty work and if they are caught the government can say "they are not a part of our armed forces", therefore the US "government" didnt break any international war crime laws. they just paid mercenaries to do so.

Answer 7

Because of that dimwit bush, going to washington dc to protest does nothing for me anymore. Waiting for this idiot to get out is sooo frustrating>>

Answer 8

Blackwater needs to make money off this war too.

Answer 9

I wonder why they need to profiteer more money when they already earn 400 million Euros for security?


Greed?

Answer 10

First of all it is perfectly legal for private army. Read up on militias in the original colonies! Continental army of the US

Bruce J: are your really so blind?