Blackwater, Renamed Xe, Still Operating in Iraq

PeacePundit has been covering the story of Blackwater Worldwide, the US-based security firm that gained notoriety in 2007 when their security guards protecting U.S. State Department officials shot at cars as the US caravan entered Nisoor Square (Baghdad), killing many civilians, including children.

The Iraqi government, reacting to that incident and several others in which civilians were killed by Blackwater guards, asked the US State Department to stop using Blackwater in Iraq, and eventually pulled Blackwater’s license to operate.

Nonetheless, the security firm continues to operate in Iraq, albeit with a new name: “Xe” (pronounced “zee”).

An Associated Press report, excerpted below, summarizes the situation.

Xe, formerly Blackwater, Still Operates in Iraq

Matthew Lee & Mike Baker, Associated Press
21 April 2009

Armed guards from the security firm once known as Blackwater Worldwide are still protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq, even though the company has no license to operate there …

Private security guards employed by the company, now known as Xe, are slated to continue ground operations in parts of Iraq long into the summer, far longer than had previously been acknowledged, government officials told the Associated Press.

In addition, helicopters working for Xe’s aviation wing, Presidential Airways, will provide air security for U.S. diplomatic convoys into September, almost two years after the Iraqi government first said it wanted the firm out.

The company’s continued presence raises fresh questions about the strength of Iraq’s sovereignty, even as the Obama administration urges the budding government to take more responsibility for the nation’s future.

Iraqis had long complained about incidents caused by Blackwater’s operations. Then a shooting by Blackwater guards in Baghdad in September 2007 left 17 civilians dead …

That deadly incident was the end, Iraqi leaders said. Blackwater had to get out.

But State Department officials acknowledge the company is still there.

The company declined to comment about a timetable for leaving.

…

Defense analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute said Iraq’s ability to enforce bans on companies like Blackwater may provide an early measurement of the strength of its internal sovereignty. As the Iraqi leaders gain more control, he said, the final exit for Blackwater will be inevitable.

“But let’s face it – they’re not entirely their own masters yet,” he said.

In Baghdad, an Iraqi security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said that while Xe will not be allowed to work in Iraq, the company needs “some time” to fully shut down its operations there. …

The State Department’s continued reliance on Blackwater also underscores the difficulties facing the U.S. government in finding other options to protect its diplomats in dangerous areas.

Department officials said this month that Blackwater guards would stop protecting U.S. diplomats on the ground in Baghdad on May 7, when the company’s contract for that specific job expires and a new security provider, Triple Canopy, takes over.

…

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