You stay safe over there
Posted on 06/07/2009 11:42:10 AM PDT by Allegra
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi forces detained five U.S. security contractors in connection with the killing of a fellow American contractor last month in Baghdad's Green Zone, an Iraqi government spokesman said on Sunday.
Major General Abdul-Karim Khalaf, the Interior Ministry spokesman, said the five men were being held at an Iraqi police station in the capital's heavily-fortified central district while a joint Iraqi-U.S. committee investigated.
The detainees could become the first Americans to face local justice since a bilateral security pact came into force at the start of this year making U.S. contractors subject to Iraqi law.
"There are no formal charges against them so far, but they were detained because of the murder of the contractor last month," Khalaf told Reuters.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Yep sent that around the neighborhood.......:o)
Any word on which contractor it is? KBR?
IIRC, Xe (Former blackwater) is all done there, a new “security” company has taken over.
Anyone you know?
Stay safe!
This is a new agreement? When and who signed off on it and why? Who all does it include? Why is the murder an FBI investigation?
It's not KBR. I know who the company is, but I have a rule that if the news isn't saying anything, I'd better not.
I remember when they found the guy's body a couple of weeks ago and everyone pretty much thought some terrorist must have somehow gotten into the IZ.
I don't think I know any of these five guys. It would be weird if these guys got found guilty...and we have to wonder what the punishment would be. The Iraqis aren't quite as soft on crime as our leftist leaders are.
By the way, my typing sucks, too. ;-)
What’s the Iraqi law on prisoner exchanges?
The Security of Forces Act (SOFA) signed late November of last year by the US and Iraq.
The FBI has a presence in the IZ (and a pretty cool bar on their compound.) They are there for various reasons in association with US interests, as is our Embassy.
You stay safe over there
Probably ‘roid rage.
This is a completely bizarre story. The guy was found bound, gagged and stabbed to death!!! This may be a common form of murder by some segments of our society, but not many.
So do these American fellow contractor suspects have IQs of 75 that they would go about this nefarious business in a manner that makes them look like members of a drug cartel?
The story says nothing of why these men might want to murder the other or what led to them being suspected. My “what the hell” meter is going bonkers.
Why is the FBI outside our borders? Ok, these contractors are not with the US military so the military can’t investigate. Yes, they’re private but they’re still working in conjunction with the US gov’t. Not that anyone asked me, but I don’t particularly care that a foreign country has so much judicial power over them. One more step and they’ll be arresting our soldiers.
Condi Rice was behind this one, agreed to in December 2008 I think.
I do not make the laws here. (OK, I did contribute to the development of their national Procurement Law in 2007, but there it stops.)
I have visited many foreign countries on business prior to coming to the Middle East and was always subject to those countries' laws when I was there. Only diplomatic personnel have immunity. Foreign visitors to our own country are subject to US laws when on our soil.
It's late and I'm starting to nod off, but here is the text of the Status of Forces Agreement - US - Iraq that was executed late last year.
For lots of reasons. It's pretty much standard practice to have a Fibby in our Embassies along with a CIA Station Chief.
I don't know any of the people who were arrested and have little more information than the media does at this point.
I can tell you that while most PSDs are very decent and level-headed people, there are some who pump up on steriods, thump their chests a lot and act like complete asshats.
LOL. You have great descriptive abilities.
FBI has been overseas in the AmEmbs since before WWII.
Counter-Intelligence is part of their job.
Liaison with local police in multi-national criminal activities, including identifying and tracking money laundering is also part of their job.
Also, the Embassy grounds are Federal territory of the US. FBI jurisdiction for major investigations.
FBI Agents in the embassys are called Legal Attaches.
They mentioned the company name in the news this morning, it’s a security company out of NC, not Xe(blackwater).
I’d be proud if my typing only sucked as bad as yours!
Stay safe.
The company that was doing most of the IZ security last time I was there was Triple Canopy. The rank and file guards there are from Latin America, the leadership is U.S. Being a dirty contractor myself, I found my Spanish coming in handy when needing to speak to the guards there.
So, not to make assumptions, but to further your point, it is unusual. Bound, gagged and stabbed may be uncommon up north, but possibly something that the guys from down south pulled on a supervisor they didn't like. Kind of a silent fragging? You don't want to go shooting someone in the Green Zone, or you'll have security beating down your door in no time. The stabbing makes sense, in that regard.
But why? Again, I'm a little more suspicious of the mercenary muscle hired from South America than I am the guy's co-workers. But that's just me. Maybe the other guys were up to something (embezzling?), and he was going to rat?
Most interesting information. Thanks.
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