Posted on 09/21/2007 8:07:28 AM PDT by Mr_Tiki
BAGHDAD -- -- Habib Sadr was sitting at his desk when the shots rang out. A sniper had just shot three security guards outside his office at the government-run Iraqi Media Network. With the fatally wounded guards lying by their checkpoint, a security convoy rolled into the neighboring Justice Ministry compound. Sadr believed the sniper was with them. The incident, he said, was a brutal introduction into the world of private security contractors. An internal investigation by Sadr's department found that Blackwater USA was responsible. But seven months after the Feb. 7 shootings no one has been charged. "We discovered it was Blackwater who did this thing. They fired at our martyrs without any reason. They didn't do anything. They were just standing at their checkpoint. Everyone knows this is the site of the Iraqi Media Network," said Sadr, who is head of Iraqi state media. "It's a strange thing. Animals get killed and gain more attention. Here we have human lives lost. We respect the laws, we filed the case, I was keen to take the thing through the official channels." A U.S. diplomat confirmed that Blackwater guards carried out the shooting, but said he did not know the results of the State Department security office's inquiry. He raised concerns that the investigation into the North Carolina-based firm was being conducted in too secretive a manner.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Of course they do. It's always a lot cheaper to farm "indiscretions" out on contract then to try to do them in-house. Like I always say, smaller government is better government.
Generally if bad things occur, they seem to be involved. They certainly do not have what one would call a stellar reputation there.
as best I can determine, Blackwater is not an enemy of the United States or our military.....in fact I’m sure that 90% or more of them are actual combat Veterans of our Military.
Blackwater is entirely mission-complementary, which cannot be said for most of congress or media yappers.
They’re also known for being a little quick on the trigger, but at the same time, they can’t usually call for serious CAS or armor. They don’t have mortars or artillery. They are a low priority for military med-evacs.
If it’s kill or be killed, I’d be a little heavy on the trigger too.
You can find people to make derogatory comments about anyone, there is always inter-service rivalry and few even in uniform see the complete picture. If the DoD at the senior levels didn’t want BW in Iraq, they’d be gone tomorrow!
I assure you one thing, if it were not for these firms, operations like the new Iraqi currency initiative years ago would never have gone off as smoothly as they did. But that wasn’t news worthy. Much of the security was provided by such private firms.
The motives of the NY & LA Times are obvious, anything Iraq is bad and evil, it’s all Bush’s fault and BW is a major security contractor in Iraq, so anything negative is a cover page story.
So were Murtha and Kerry. Being a vet shouldn't give anyone a free pass for any behavior.
“as best I can determine, Blackwater is not an enemy of the United States or our military.....in fact I’m sure that 90% or more of them are actual combat Veterans of our Military.
Blackwater is entirely mission-complementary, which cannot be said for most of congress or media yappers.”
Bravo sir. Most of the BW guys are real. They do work that the DSS has neither the manpower nor the inclination to perform, under a longstanding contract, and without the benefit of an entire country behind them (as compared to the US Military). They may have quick trigger fingers, but they are simply folks. 5h1t happens, and everyone does their best. If things go well and Murphy is looking elsewhere, you get out alive. If not, not.
The preponderance of diplo-dunk, whiny, pc, limp..., arm chair quarterbacks is annoying. Leave the men to their work, and stop joggling their elbow.
If it sounds like an AK, smokes like an AK, and keeps shooting like an AK, it’s an AK....whether someone removes it after the dust-up or not!
Top sends
While I did not work for Blackwater, I did do security work in Iraq with another company. These guys don´t support thre troops with thier mouths, nut with thier deeds.
I have been ambushed, shot at by snipers, had a car blown up with an iED (with me in it) and then woke up to RPGs being fired at our hotel. There are times when I could have opened up and killed everything around me, but I knew there were innocent civilians in the way and held fire.
Our company rules of engagement were the same as the Army ROE. Another thing to remember is that there are only so many roads to get from point A to point B. If you go out shooting up the streets and acting like an ass then it won´t be long before these people will ambush and kill you.
My company leased a house in that Monsuer distrrict and we have been attacked there. I saw an Army convoy that was attacked there and several Hummvees burning. Our guys ran down there on foot from our house and provided security and mediacal care untill more troops came up.
Iraq is not like Germany, France or the Phillipines durinh WWII where if you were shot down by the enemy civilians would give you aid and hide you. You can not trust anyone in Iraq if you have to escape ajnd evade the enemy more than likely the people will sell you to the terrorists. I did not trust the people, the police or the troops, just the way it is. But that dosen´t mean we mistreat them either, if you do you just create more hard core terrorists.
Anytime a bomb misses a target this will be exploited by the enemy. Anytime there is fratricide involving foreign nationals it’s an international incident.
When such unfortunate events occur, people are upset and that’s understandable. We accidentally shoot at our own and in fact we on several occasions have shot at our own planes, helicopters, fired Hellfire’s at our own tanks, fired artillery on our own troops, dropped bombs on our own guys or even engaged each other accidentally with small arms. In war people die. It’s dynamic and very fast paced, and you’re dealing many different uniforms, languages, and even civilian guards that might not wear a uniform at all. Even with digitization, well planned missions, IFF, communication systems we have today, these events will continue to occur, while at a much lower rate than in the past, it is unrealistic to believe that this can be avoided. It is in the nature of this game.
In this case you have a US on Iraqi incident, of course this will be turned into an international incident, of course the LA & NY Times will run with it……….
It is not in BW’s interest to kill some security guards.
C’mon, man......since you’ve been to irak, you know perfectly well that this accusers “name” is “friend of Sadr”, so he must be entirely trustworthy, yes? /s
“Habib Sadr was sitting at his desk.......outside his office at the government-run Iraqi Media Network.”
“We discovered it was Blackwater who did this thing. They fired at our martyrs without any reason. They didn’t do anything. They were just standing at their checkpoint. Everyone knows this is the site of the Iraqi Media Network,” said Sadr, who is head of Iraqi state media”
So.....exactly who is this “friend of Sadr”???? Iraqi Media Network or Iraqi state media????? And by the way, can you explain the truth of those quite different Media/media implications?
We are supposed to believe that Blackwater just showed up to kill 3 guards and split? Or maybe that it was a drive-by just for fun? And whatever happened to the lookalike Suburbans abd dressedalike sunni or shiite imitators we heard about for a bit then it went silent about them?
you completely sidestepped the last paragraph of my post...why?
“Sadr” is a shiite name....in both iraq and iran......and in Oct last year, the shia militias and operatives were having a rough go of it, courtesy of our guys and a few of the iraqi troops and cops....remember?
So when some guy named Sadr accuses our guys of something, I’m not impressed......even when anonymous US diplomat/officers are thrown into the mix by the LA or NY Times.
Iraqi TV boss plans to launch news channel
Habib al-Sadr, director general of Iraq’s state-funded television channel Al-Iraqiya, has bold plans to expand his burgeoning network - if he can survive the constant threats to his life. All is in place for the launch mid-September at the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan of a new channel of readings from the Koran, an adjunct to the three existing Al-Iraqiya national channels, Sadr told AFP.
Initially broadcasting for just six hours a day, Al-Furkan channel will eventually grow into a 24-hour national religious channel, Sadr said in his plush office on the banks of the Tigris river in Baghdad’s Karkh district. ”Then next year we’ll be launching a 24-hour news channel, which will be a first for Iraq,” says the balding, thick-set 55-year-old television executive, who admits that Al-Iraqiya is not as independent as he would like it to be.
“Yes, we are always under pressure from political and religious groups, but we are doing our best to resist this,” says Sadr. Himself a Shiite, Sadr has been accused of allowing the Shiite-led government - which foots his Iraqi Media Network’s annual $50 million bill - to use its television and radio channels to spread its own political message.
“We are an independent company and are doing our best to deflect the pressure but we haven’t yet fully succeeded,” Sadr acknowledges, deflecting criticism that Al-Iraqiya promotes Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s government. ”My main ambition is to establish free and independent media in Iraq. If I can achieve this it will be a first in the Arab world,” says Sadr. ”We already have 90 newsroom journalists plus 60 political reporters and much of the equipment we need for the news channel,” he says. “We need to spend a little more on equipment and then all will be in place.”
Since the US-led invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam, the number of television channels legally available has mushroomed and rooftops across Iraq now bristle with satellite dishes. With foreign channels such as Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya, Lebanon’s LBC, the BBC and CNN now readily available to anyone with a satellite dish, Sadr believes it’s time for the Iraqis to launch their own 24-hour news channel.
Though he has launched two national plus seven regional television channels, 11 radio stations and six newspapers since he took over as head of the Iraqi Media Network in 2005, Sadr sees the news channel as his pet project. ”We are taking our time to make sure it is done properly. We want to achieve something unique in Iraq,” he says, while declining to give a launch date.
(Source: AFP)
http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/?p=8650
Somebody tell me again who funds and runs “Iraq Media Network” that doesn’t even exist any more?
Iraqi network promises religion, news
Al Iraqiya looks ahead to future
By BRYAN PEARSON
Talk Back - post a comment
BAGHDAD — For Habib al-Sadr, head of Iraq’s state-funded TV network Al Iraqiya, the future lies in religion and news.
Sitting in his plush office on the banks of the Tigris river in Baghdad’s Karkh district, Sadr unveiled his expansion plans for the next year or so.
First up will be the launch in a few weeks at the Sept. 13 start of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan of a new religious channel, Al Furkan, an adjunct to Al Iraqiya’s flagship variety channel, the sports channel and multilingual spectrum channel.
Initially broadcasting for six hours a day, Al Furkan will carry only readings from the Quran, eventually growing into a 24-hour national channel, Sadr says.
“Then, next year, we’ll launch a 24-hour news channel, which will be a first for Iraq,” says the 55-year-old executive. “We already have 90 newsroom journalists plus 60 political reporters and much of the equipment we need for the news channel. We need to spend a little more — maybe $3 million — on equipment, and then all will be in place.”
Under Saddam Hussein’s rule, there were only two TV channels — a dour national station that continuously carried the president’s speeches, and a youth network run by his son Uday.
TV channels have mushroomed since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, and rooftops across Iraq now bristle with satellite dishes.
With foreign channels such as Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, CNN and the BBC readily available, Sadr says it’s time for Iraqis to have their own dedicated news channel.
Though he has launched two national TV channels and seven regional channels, 11 radio stations and six newspapers since he took over as head of the Iraqi Media Network in 2005, Sadr sees a 24-hour news channel as his pet project. And he wants to make sure it succeeds.
“We are taking our time to make sure it is done properly. We want to achieve something unique in Iraq,” he says, adding that he is determined not to let the project become a vehicle for propaganda.
The Iraqi government foots the annual $50 million budget of the Iraqi Media Network, the umbrella group that controls Al Iraqiya and of which Sadr is director general.
The greater challenge facing Sadr is dealing with Iraq’s raging sectarian violence, which he says has killed at least 76 of his staffers, including a cameraman last week, and wounded 68 since he took over the channel in 2005.
Among those abducted and murdered by insurgents was female presenter Nakshin Hamid. Poet Rahim al-Maliki, who hosted cultural programs, was killed in a bomb attack.
“It’s very dangerous for journalists in Iraq,” says Sadr, fidgeting with a set of black prayer beads.
Watchdog group Reporters Without Borders said in its latest report that 64 journalists and media assistants were killed in 2006, bringing to 194 the number who have died since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Sadr says he is a prime target, and he receives dozens of death threats every day “by telephone, by email and by text message.”
While he shrugs off the threats, he’s also cautious. Not many months back, his convoy was raked with gunfire while on the way from Baghdad’s airport.
“I am a target for Al Qaeda and for members of Saddam Hussein’s former regime,” Sadr says.
An Al Qaeda affiliate claimed the killing last year of an Al Iraqiya station manager, saying it considered the station “a mouthpiece for the government ... which was always eager to broadcast lies about jihad (holy war) and the mujahedeen (Muslim warriors) to please the Crusaders (the U.S.).”
He admits that Al Iraqiya is not as independent as he would like it to be.
“Yes, we are always under pressure from political and religious groups, but we are doing our best to resist this,” he says.
Himself a Shia, Sadr is often accused of promoting Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s Shiite-led government and allowing it to use his television and radio channels for propaganda.
“We are an independent company and are doing our best to deflect the pressure, but we haven’t yet fully succeeded,” Sadr acknowledges.
“My main ambition is to establish free and independent media in Iraq. If I can achieve this, it will be a first in the Arab world.”
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117971574.html?categoryid=1445&cs=1
Iraq most dangerous country for journalists -IPI
25 Apr 2007 14:58:15 GMT
Source: Reuters
VIENNA, April 25 (Reuters) - Iraq remains the most dangerous country for journalists with 46 killed last year in bombings, abductions and drive-by shootings, twice as many as in 2005, the International Press Institute (IPI) said on Wednesday.
The violence-torn country topped the organisation’s annual survey of journalists’ killings, which totalled 100 worldwide last year, making it the worst year since IPI started recording them in 1997, Vienna-based IPI said in a statement.
“Journalists and media workers have emerged as a clear target for insurgent attacks,” IPI said in the survey.
“Media representatives have been repeatedly victimised by sectarian death squads intent on silencing outspoken voices through violence and intimidation,” it added.
Of the 46 journalists killed, 44 were Iraqi nationals, several of them working for international media outlets, it said.
The total was largest of any year since U.S.-led troops toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.
The organisation, which was founded in the United States in 1950 and has members in 120 countries, blamed the Iraqi government for not prosecuting journalists’ killings and for tightening its own grip on the media at the same time.
“Journalists have faced threats, criminal prosecution and imprisonment and news organisations have been banned over coverage that displeases the authorities,” IPI said.
“The Iraqi government’s policies towards the press closely resemble those of autocratic regimes in the region, and not those of an aspiring democracy.”
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L2531070.htm
Yeah right Blackwater did it......Habibi sez so, right?
I think any time our forces are accused of these crimes the US government, including FBI, should do the autopsys and ballistics checks to determine how these people died to see if they were killed by coalitions terrorists. If the Iraqi government refuses to cooperate and allow us access to the evidence then they can just sit down and shut the fuck up.
note the extra “i”.....along with the wider perspective of habibis associations above.
....Habibi sez so, right?
THAT is MY point.......I understand the occupational exigencies perfectly well.
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