Leaked Blackwater Iraq Videos

04/05/2012

Videos posted by Harper's Magazine show the private contractor formerly known as Blackwater in Iraq running over a woman with a car, smashing into Iraqis' cars to move them out of the way and firing a rifle into traffic.

The behavior by Blackwater seen in the videos adds even more fuel to evidence that the company "encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life."

The videos are included in a piece by Charles Glass entitled "The Warrior Class" that looks at the rise of private security contractors. Glass had been shown the videos by a former Blackwater employee.

Describing the video dated April 2006 that shows a woman being hit by a Blackwater vehicle, Glass writes: "A woman in a black full-length burka began to cross the street. The vehicle struck the woman and knocked her unconscious body into the gutter. The cars slowed for a moment, but did not stop, nor did they even determine whether the victim was dead or alive. A voice in the car taking the video said, 'Oh, my God!' Yet no one was heard on the radio requesting help for her. Most sickeningly, the sequence had been set to an AC/DC song, whose pounding, metallic chorus declared: 'You've been... thunderstruck!' "

Glass writes that the tape he was shown ended with the inscription, "In support of security, peace, freedom and democracy everywhere." Common Dreams

*The five separate videos are joined into one here.*

FACTS & FIGURES

Blackwater is the mercenary firm founded as Blackwater USA in 1996 by former Navy SEAL and fundamentalist Christian Erik Prince. It received no-bid contracts from the Bush administration in Iraq, Afghanistan, and post-Katrina New Orleans. In 2009, Prince resigned as CEO. Amid scandals over misbehavior by Blackwater employees in Iraq, the company renamed itself Blackwater Worldwide in 2007, Xe Services in 2009, and Academi in 2011. Subsidiaries include Paravant LLC. nndb.com

The Blackwater family of businesses includes Blackwater Training Center (the largest private firearms and tactical training center in the U. S., according to Blackwater's Web site), Blackwater Target Systems, Blackwater Security Consulting, Blackwater Canine, and Raven Development Group. contractormisconduct.org

Xe Services LLC (formerly known as Blackwater) entered into a civil settlement with the U.S. State Department in which it agreed to pay a $42 million penalty ($12 million of which was suspended on the condition that it be applied toward remedial measures) for 288 alleged violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) between 2003 and 2009. The alleged violations included illegal weapon exports to Afghanistan, making unauthorized business proposals to the government of Southern Sudan, and providing unauthorized services to various foreign countries. contractormisconduct.org

The Obama administration awarded Academi a $250 million contract to work for the U.S. State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan. thenation.com

Source Article (PDF) http://harpers.org/media/pages/2012/0...

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[AdoreYouInAshXI]

Jesus Christ your stupidity is astounding. Is the public education system so terrible in NZ? If you are any indication then I'm afraid it is. I've tried to talk to you logically but you seem incapable of common sense or comprehension. You're like a drunk retard rambling incoherently that everyone else just wishes would shut the fuck up. Yes, NZ IS inferior in terms of military power and might regardless if you like it or not... it's a FACT you stupid, uneducated piece of shit.

[AdoreYouInAshXI]

Did you not read my comment or are you simply too stupid to comprehend it? I told you that I hate the American government just as much as anyone else. I have no problem with other countries, you see I'm not a racist bigot like yourself. As far as being broke... I'm far from broke, I make plenty of money, have a nice house and a great family. I'm doing just fine. Sorry you can't deal with the truth. U mad?

[thomasjkelley]

What's worse is the consequences that get meted out when you burn four Americans in a public spectacle. That incident resulted in an immediate wholesale attack on Fallajuh & the killing of thousands of Iraqi insurgents. Any time Americans are killed, the fallout is swift, brutal, & severe. We had been waiting two whole years to decimate Fallujah but it kept getting stalled. Until we see 4 of our own hanging from a bridge. No pr campaign is gonna stop us from getting revenge when that happens.

[MrNickoDepo]

you hate our government? well fuck you

[AdoreYouInAshXI]

This made me laugh.

[AdoreYouInAshXI]

How am I full of shit, tell me, do you like just spewing stupidity out of your cock sucker with no explanation?

[snoopaloop007]

you are full of shit

[IAMTHEPROFANE NOTADEPT]

These wacked out yahoos are the reason women and children are getting blown up at marathons in Boston of all places. We're doing it all over the world.Funny thing is these pyschopaths come back to America and start private security companies, open McDonalds, get jobs at nursing homes, and sit next to us at church.In twenty years our kids are gonna look at these times today as ten times worse than how we today see Vietnam 40 years ago.But right now all we care about is what Linsay Lohan is doing.

[Darmesis]

See your still spreading smiles around the internet, fim! Discussions with you is like talking to a 6 year old who's been handed a 5th of whiskey and a dictionary of curse words :)

[Darmesis]

Who would've guessed that in war things get smashed, guns get fired, and cars don't stop when strange women run into traffic in a place where suicide bombings happen? I've always pictured war as more like The Power Rangers. Guess I'll have to reassess.

[Bill Gates]

I see nothing wrong with this.

[Bill Gates]

I hope you die and your family you Cunt