Security Contractors in Iraq Face More Oversight
Iraq and the United States are both taking action to increase oversight of private contractors after a September incident in which security guards with Blackwater Worldwide were accused of killing 17 Iraqis.
Iraq’s cabinet has approved legislation that would allow private security contractors to face prosecution for wrongdoing, Reuters reports. The law revoking immunity now goes to Parliament.
Meanwhile, the United States will begin requiring convoys of Blackwater guards and other contractors hired by the State Department to fall under military control, the New York Times reports.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the military will help oversee contractor training and rules for guards’ use of force. The changes will insure the military isn’t “blindsided by contractors running in and out of their battle space and potentially causing problems,” he told the Times.
A hat tip to Jurist’s Paper Chase blog, which posted the Reuters story.
