Region | Iraq
Iraq's Al Maliki condemns Blackwater contract renewal
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki criticised the renewal of a US contract with security contractor Blackwater, saying the company has committed a “massacre” against Iraqis.
- Agencies
- Published: 14:47 April 7, 2008
Baghdad: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki criticised the renewal of a US contract with security contractor Blackwater, saying the company has committed a “massacre'' against Iraqis.
The US State Department had said Blackwater's contract would be renewed pending an FBI investigation into a September 2007 incident in which the company's guards are accused of wrongly killing 17 Iraqis.
"They committed a massacre against Iraqis and until now this issue has not been resolved," Al Maliki told CNN in an interview broadcast on Monday.
"I would say that the US side should not have moved to renew the contract before the outstanding issues with this company are finalised," Al Maliki said.
Last year's shooting angered the Iraqi government and prompted the State Department to tighten Blackwater's rules of engagement and put cameras and diplomatic security officers on all convoys.
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