Region | Iraq
Blackwater takes on a new name to sidestep licence issues
Firm's presence underscores dilemma faced by US in keeping diplomats safe.
- AP
- Published: 21:45 April 21, 2009
- Plainclothes contractors working for Blackwater engage Iraqi demonstrators loyal to Moqtada Al Sadr in a file photo as they attempt to advance on a facility being defended by US and Spanish troops in Najaf, Iraq. The security agency has been working under a new name, Xe, to avoid controversies.
- Image Credit: AP
Washington: Armed guards from the security firm once known as Blackwater Worldwide are still protecting US diplomats in Iraq, even though the company has no licence to operate there and has been told by the State Department its contracts will not be renewed two years after a lethal firefight that stirred outrage in Baghdad.
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 said.
In addition, helicopters working for Xe's aviation wing, Presidential Airways, will provide air security for US 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 country's 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's Nisoor Square in September, 2007 left 17 civilians dead, further strained relations between Baghdad and Washington and led US prosecutors to bring charges against the Blackwater contractors involved.
The company declined to comment about a timetable for leaving. "We follow the direction of our US government client," Xe spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said. Last February, Blackwater changed its name to Xe - pronounced ZEE - in a bid to leave its controversial reputation behind.
Defence 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 authorised 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 official did not give further details on the timetable.
The US State Department's continued reliance on Blackwater also underscores the difficulties facing the US government in finding other options to protect its diplomats in dangerous areas.
Department officials said this month that Blackwater guards would stop protecting US diplomats on the ground in Baghdad on May 7, when the firm's contract for that specific job expires and a new security provider, Triple Canopy, takes over.
But in its statement following the Iraqi government's decision to prohibit Blackwater from operating there, it did not reveal that the firm has two other contracts - known as "task orders" - that do not expire until August and September respectively.
Blackwater guards will remain on the ground protecting American diplomats in Al Hillah, Najaf and Karbala, all south of Baghdad, until August 4, according to the department. And Presidential Airways - which operates some two dozen helicopters - will continue to fly until September 3, it said.
After the Nisoor Square deaths, Iraqi officials ruled that Blackwater would be barred from operating in the country. Despite the ban, the State Department renewed Blackwater's contract seven months later, in April, 2008.
It wasn't until January of this year, when Iraqi authorities denied the company an operating licence, that the Obama administration said it would not renew the company's existing task orders.
On February 2, though, the department signed a revised task order for Presidential Airways that allowed the Blackwater-owned airline to operate through September 3, according to a federal public procurement database.
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