Iraqi victims outraged at slow Blackwater exit

Some Iraqis wounded in the September 2007 shootout by guards for the former Blackwater Worldwide security firm expressed anger and dismay Tuesday after reports that the company will continue work in Iraq longer than previously thought. Hussein Jabber, a Baghdad lawyer hit by gunfire in the deadly melee, says he was outraged at the Iraqi government for not taking a harder stance against the company, now known as Xe. "The Blackwater personnel are mercenaries. The Iraqi government knows that very well," said Jabber, who still has bullet fragments in his arm and side from the Sept. 16, 2007 shooting that left 17 Iraqis dead and another 20 wounded in Baghdad's busy Nisoor Square. The bloodshed strained ties between Iraq and the United States and brought questions about Washington's use of private security in Iraq and other conflict zones. The State Department said this month that Xe 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. Last February, Blackwater changed its name to Xe–pronounced ZEE–in a bid to leave its controversial reputation behind. But State Department officials told The Associated Press that the company will remain in some areas of southern Iraq into the summer and its aviation service, Presidential Airways, will provide air security for U.S. diplomatic convoys into September. Jabber said he plans to travel to the United States if the manslaughter charges against five former Backwater guards moves ahead. In February, a federal judge denied two motions to dismiss the case against the five men accused in the 2007 shootings. The five argue they are not subject to U.S. civilian criminal laws because they were working overseas under a contract with the State Department to help provide security for diplomats. "A case is proceeding in America, but I'm surprised our own government had not paid attention to the pain of the victims," Jabir said. Samir Hobi, a teacher wounded in the shooting, insisted that Iraqi authorities should seek direct compensation from the Moyock, North Carolina-based company. "No one is asking for our rights," he said. "The government doesn't care about us. This case no longer interests them." Iraqi government officials did not reply to AP requests for comment on the company's extended stay in the country. An Iraqi security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said Sunday that Xe will not be allowed to work in Iraq but needs "some time" to fully shut down its operations there. The official did not give further details on the timetable.