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Blackwater guards 'face charges' Blackwater guards 'used grenades'
(1 day later)
Five employees of the US security firm Blackwater charged over the 2007 fatal shooting of 17 Iraqis are expected to surrender to US authorities. US guards indicted over the 2007 fatal shooting of 17 Iraqis used machine guns and grenade launchers against unarmed civilians, prosecutors have said.
Contracted to defend US diplomats, the firm says its guards acted in self-defence when they opened fire after being ambushed by Baghdad insurgents. The guards, from the US security firm Blackwater, were contracted to defend US diplomats. The firm says its guards acted in self-defence.
Details of the charges are expected to be made public on Monday, with reports saying the men will surrender in Utah. The five men are charged with 14 counts of manslaughter, as well as weapons violations and attempted manslaughter.
A sixth guard has pleaded guilty to killing at least one Iraqi.
The Iraqi government has welcomed the move to hold "criminals accountable".The Iraqi government has welcomed the move to hold "criminals accountable".
The killings have become a central issue in Iraq's relationship with the US. The killings, which took place in Nisoor Square, Baghdad, have become a central issue in Iraq's relationship with the US and raised questions about the oversight of US contractors operating in war zones.
Apology plea Witnesses and family members maintain that the shooting on 16 September 2007 was unprovoked.
Although the indictment was made in Washington, Associated Press reported that the men would surrender to the FBI in Utah, the home state of one of the five guards. 'Politically motivated'
Haythem Ahmed al-Rubaie, who lost his wife and son in the shooting, said he had not even received an apology. Although the indictment was made in Washington, the men surrendered at a federal courthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah, the home state of one of the five guards, Donald Ball.
He has rejected a compensation offer of $10,000 (£6,780) from the US. They kept shooting at the first car until it burst into flames Mohammed al-KinanaWitness to shooting class="" href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/7770826.stm">Iraqi anger at Blackwater shootings That way the men could argue that the case should be heard in Utah, considered more conservative and pro-gun than Washington, AP said.
"They killed my wife and my son and other innocent people. What did they do for them? Did they apologise?" "Donald Ball committed no crime," said his lawyer, Steven McCool. "We are confident that any jury will see this for what it is: a politically-motivated prosecution to appease the Iraqi government."
They kept shooting at the first car until it burst into flames Mohammed Al KinanaWitness to shooting Defence lawyers are expected to file a series of challenges before the guards can even go to trial.
Witnesses and family members maintain that the shooting was unprovoked. "The killers must pay for their crime against innocent civilians. Justice must be achieved so that we can have rest from the agony we are living in," said Khalid Ibrahim, 40, who said his 78-year-old father, Ibrahim Abid, died in the shooting.
Mohammed al-Kinana, who lost his son in the shooting, said: "Those men, they just kept shooting and shooting. "We know that the conviction of the people behind the shooting will not bring my father to life, but we will have peace in our minds and hearts," he told AP.
"They shot in all directions. At the trees. At the police hut. They kept shooting at the first car until it burst into flames." The New York Times has previously reported that an FBI investigation had concluded that 14 of the deaths at the busy Baghdad intersection were unjustified.
Mohammed Osama, 17, lost his father in the shooting. He believes the five guards being indicted should be executed.
"They need to get the harshest possible punishment," he said.
Police in Nisour Square, in the upmarket Baghdad suburb where the shooting happened, speak with disdain at the mention of Blackwater, one saying that he is concerned for the lives of Iraqis while they continue to be in Iraq.
The shooting began to redefine the relationship between Iraq and the US, says the BBC's Humphrey Hawksley in Baghdad.
The US justice department has been considering charges for weeks
It was a symbolic part of negotiations on when and how US forces should leave Iraq.
At the weekend, the top US military commander, General Raymond Odierno, told his troops that all Iraqis must be treated with "the utmost honour and dignity".
While the exact charges remain unclear, the US justice department has been considering manslaughter and assault charges against the guards for weeks.
The New York Times has previously reported that an FBI investigation had concluded that 14 of the deaths at the busy Baghdad intersection on 16 September 2007 were unjustified.
Young children were among the victims.Young children were among the victims.
A sixth Blackwater employee is negotiating a plea deal in return for testifying against his colleagues, AP reported, adding that the indicted men are decorated military veterans. As well as Mr Ball, the other men indicted are Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Nick Slatten and Paul Slough.
The problem of private armed guards in Iraq remains unresolved, mainly because they continue to provide security for the many American and other foreign officials in the country. On top of the 14 counts of manslaughter, they face 20 counts of attempted manslaughter, as well as using a machine gun to commit a crime of violence, a charge that carries a 30-year minimum sentence.
A sixth Blackwater employee, Jeremy Ridgeway, agreed to a plea deal in return for testifying against his colleagues, AP reported, adding that the indicted men are decorated military veterans.
Contractor conditionsContractor conditions
American law is unclear on whether contractors can be charged in the US or anywhere else for crimes committed overseas. Evan Liberty, one of the indicted guards, surrenders in UtahThe problem of private armed guards in Iraq remains unresolved, mainly because they continue to provide security for the many American and other foreign officials in the country.
US law is unclear on whether contractors can be charged in the US or anywhere else for crimes committed overseas.
In October 2007, the Iraqi government approved a draft law revoking the immunity from prosecution that private security contractors enjoyed under Iraqi law.In October 2007, the Iraqi government approved a draft law revoking the immunity from prosecution that private security contractors enjoyed under Iraqi law.
The US has since put in place new guidelines for security contractors.The US has since put in place new guidelines for security contractors.
Based at a vast ranch complex in North Carolina, Blackwater is one of the main private providers of security within Iraq, and its contract there was extended in April.Based at a vast ranch complex in North Carolina, Blackwater is one of the main private providers of security within Iraq, and its contract there was extended in April.