Hundreds of employees of the firm Blackwater, which is prohibited from working in Iraq because it opened fire on civilians in 2007, continued to work for other companies responsible for security of American diplomats, according to a cable published by WikiLeaks.
Iraq announced in January 2009 that would no longer renew the Blackwater license to operate in this country after the September 16, 2007 guards in the company, which protected U.S. diplomatic convoy, opened fire in Baghdad Nissur Square, killing at least 14 Iraqi civilians.
U.S. State Department then decided not to continue the contract with Blackwater, which later changed its name, becoming Xe. But diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks confirm that former employees continued to work in Iraq for other security companies.
“There are many former (agents of) Blackwater employed by other companies, Triple Canopy and DynCorp in particular, we provide our security”, reads a telegram sent on 4 January 2010 by the American Embassy in Baghdad, published on 30 August.
Another telegram of January 11, 2010 was expressing concern about Iraqi efforts to remove former employees of Blackwater in the country, noting that it risks undermining the Triple Canopy company’s ability to secure the embassy.
“The embassy believes that Triple Canopy has hired hundreds of former employees of Blackwater”, said the telegram, also released on August 30.
“In addition, DynCorp, the security company security that provides us with air support, employed also dozens of former employees of Blackwater”, the telegram continues.
“Given the fact that many former employees of Blackwater are employed currently at Triple Canopy, it is very likely that the demand of Iraqi government for them to leave Iraq to diminish the ability of this company to meet the conditions required by the embassy security”, adds this telegram.
Despite U.S. concerns, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced in February 2010 that it granted a period of seven days to a number of 250 former employees of Blackwater to leave Iraq and that it will seize their residence permit”, due to what happened at Nissur Square”.
It is unclear whether the 250 employees are part or all former Blackwater employees working in Iraq.