Blackwater / Xe / IDS / Academi - R2

Dedicado a las compañias privadas de servicios militares, seguridad e inteligencia.
MrX
Apoyo Tecnico
Apoyo Tecnico
Mensajes: 70
Registrado: 01 Nov 2007 14:41

Re: PMC: Blackwater

Mensaje por MrX »

Teniendo en cuenta que los ejércitos privados no son legales según la legislación internacional (legislación que cadacual se salta a la torera como quiere), pues bien no va a poder acabar. Legislar sobre la guerra es extremadamente difícil.
"Las armas se deben reservar para el último lugar, donde y cuando los otros medios no basten." Maquiavelo
Avatar de Usuario
Loopster
Jefe de Operaciones
Jefe de Operaciones
Mensajes: 3298
Registrado: 10 Ene 2007 12:32
Ubicación: 22 Bunker

Re: PMC: Blackwater

Mensaje por Loopster »

MrX, no son ejércitos privados, la legislación internacional los incluye en multitud de normativas (la más reciente el Documento Montreux, reconocido y en parte obra del Comité Internacional de la Cruz Roja), y la misma ONU es cliente de varias de estas empresas (como ArmorGroup, que proteje campamentos de refugiados en Kenia).

Nota de prensa de Blackwater sobre el indictment:


Anne Tyrrel, Portavoz de Blackwater Worldwide escribió: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BLACKWATER STATEMENT ON INDICMENTS OF FORMER CONTRACTORS
MOYOCK, North Carolina - December 8, 2008

(December 8, 2008) – Blackwater security professionals operate according to strict rules for use of force issued by the U.S. Government. Blackwater deploys teams that, like all of the individuals involved in the September 16 incident, consist of experienced U.S. military and law enforcement veterans. On top of their military and law enforcement training and experience, these individuals receive extensive additional training to prepare them to protect American diplomats working in Iraq. This training includes instruction in the rules for use of force established and imposed by the U.S. Government.
Guided by that experience and the tight controls outlined in their contracts with the U.S. Department of State, Blackwater’s security professionals protect American diplomats in an environment where suicide bombers use cars as weapons, roadside debris conceals improvised explosive devices, and insurgents disguise themselves in law enforcement uniforms.

Blackwater does not have access to all of the information gathered by federal investigators. Based on the information available to us, we understand that these individuals acted within the rules set forth for them by the government and that no criminal violations occurred. It is important to note that these men are presumed innocent, that an indictment is only the first step in the judicial process, and that these men have not been convicted of anything. If, however, it is determined that an individual acted improperly, then Blackwater supports holding that person accountable. But in the interest of due process, it is too early to reach any conclusion before the legal proceedings have run their course.
This has been Blackwater’s consistent position throughout the U.S. government’s investigation, and we have offered investigators our complete cooperation. As noted by the Department of Justice during its press conference, Blackwater as a company has not been charged with any crimes, and neither have any of the hundreds of other Blackwater professionals serving in Iraq. Yet, because of misguided assumptions and generalizations that surrounded this unfortunate incident, our work has been mischaracterized and all of our personnel unfairly maligned. We have confidence that the judicial system will determine what actually happened, and look forward to examining the incident ourselves based on a full factual picture.

Blackwater Statement on Plea Deal of Individual Former Contractor

Blackwater is extremely disappointed and surprised to learn that an individual independent contractor has said he committed wrongdoing related to his activities on September 16, 2007. If true, at the time of the incident and in the months that followed, this individual gave false information to the company to conceal that behavior. Both the conduct itself and misleading Blackwater after the fact would violate the high standards of conduct required of each Blackwater independent contractor.

This development does not change our support for those who maintain that they acted appropriately in response to a perceived threat. Blackwater does not have access to all of the information gathered by investigators. Based on the information available to us, however, we understand that these individuals acted within the rules set forth for them by the government and that no criminal violations occurred.
Cry havoc and unleash the hawgs of war - Otatsiihtaissiiststakio piksi makamo ta psswia
Avatar de Usuario
Loopster
Jefe de Operaciones
Jefe de Operaciones
Mensajes: 3298
Registrado: 10 Ene 2007 12:32
Ubicación: 22 Bunker

Re: PMC: Blackwater

Mensaje por Loopster »

Raven 23, la web donde se puede encontrar toda la documentación legal del caso que hay desclasificada. Montada por el equipo de abogados que defiende a los cinco miembros de Blackwater pertenecientes al Tactical Support Team 23, Raven 23.

PRESS STATEMENT

My name is Mark Hulkower. With me today are Bill Coffield, Tom Connolly, Steven McCool and David Schertler. Together we represent five brave young men indicted today for allegations arising from a firefight with Iraqi insurgents on September 16, 2007 in Baghdad.

These charges are quite simply untrue and were brought only after these young men resisted repeated efforts by prosecutors to have them plead guilty to minor charges. Our clients were unwilling to plea bargain with the prosecutors because they did nothing wrong. It is sad that in this day and age if you are unwilling to say the politically expedient thing and testify against other young men whose only crime was defending themselves and their comrades, you face unfounded charges that can put you in jail for the rest of your life. We will not allow such a gross injustice to occur.

On September 16, 2007, on the dangerous streets of Baghdad, a State Department official and her security detail were attacked by insurgents using a roadside bomb. A second security team, including our clients, was sent to assist and in the process of securing an escape route were drawn into a firefight with insurgents in Nissor Square.

Iraqi insurgents do not wear uniforms, and often disguise themselves as Iraqi soldiers or police to ambush U.S. forces. The tools of these insurgents include car bombs, roadside bombs, suicide bombers and automatic weapons. Faced with this enemy, these young men were fighting for their lives in a crowded, dangerous and chaotic environment. It is an unfortunate fact of war that in a country where terrorists and insurgents hide behind civilians to attack U.S. personnel, civilian casualties will result. These casualties are not the fault of our military and security forces however, but rather the fault of the insurgents who use women and children as shields, behind which they launch their cowardly attacks.

Today, prosecutors in Washington, DC, seated comfortably in the safety of well guarded offices three thousand miles away from this deadly war zone, have seen fit to second guess how these decorated veterans of the military fought for the lives of their comrades and themselves. Worse they have charged these young men with offenses which could put them in prison for the rest of their lives for their efforts to save their own lives and the lives of others.

We are confident that a jury – free from political pressure -- will find that our clients have committed no crimes in their fight to return to their families alive and in one piece.

We are also troubled that these charges will send the wrong message to all the brave young men and women serving overseas in the military or providing security for U.S. Officials. The message that the DOJ sends out today is not one of appreciation for their honorable service but instead puts them on notice that their actions in a war zone will be second guessed by prosecutors every time they are attacked and must fight for their lives.

It would truly be a tragedy if the message sent to our forces by these indictments is that you have to choose between defending yourself and your comrades or facing charges from prosecutors who will call the shots, not from the battlefield, but from a cozy office in Washington, DC.

We are also very concerned about the political considerations that appear to have motivated this indictment. It is unusual to say the least for the DOJ to bring high profile criminal charges in a case with international political overtones during the transition of presidential administrations and Justice Department officials. However, in the past weeks and months the U.S. Government has been negotiating a Status of Force Agreement with the Iraqi Government that will govern the future of the U.S. military presence in Iraq and has been anxious to see it ratified by the Iraqi Parliament. During this same period the Department of Justice has been conducting its investigation and has also sent agents to Iraq to provide briefings on this case. The filing of these charges at this time gives every appearance that these young men are being prosecuted to curry favor with factions in the Iraqi government that have been hostile to the U.S. presence and highly critical of the conduct of U.S. forces. More simply put, the DOJ indictment at this delicate time creates an overwhelming appearance of political influence in an effort to win support in Iraq. This is intolerable.

Just as our clients defended this country and its officials in Iraq, they will defend themselves from these unwarranted and unfair accusations. In Baghdad they fought for their lives, here they fight for their freedom. We look forward to their being vindicated in this matter.

Thank you.
http://www.raven23.com
Cry havoc and unleash the hawgs of war - Otatsiihtaissiiststakio piksi makamo ta psswia
Avatar de Usuario
Loopster
Jefe de Operaciones
Jefe de Operaciones
Mensajes: 3298
Registrado: 10 Ene 2007 12:32
Ubicación: 22 Bunker

Re: PMC: Blackwater

Mensaje por Loopster »

How Blackwater serves America
Erik Prince escribió:
Since United States military operations in Iraq began in 2003, I have visited Iraq at least 15 times. But unlike politicians who visit, the question for me has never been why the U.S. got into Iraq. Instead, as the CEO of Blackwater, the urgent question was how the company I head could perform the duties asked of us by the U.S. State Department.

Last week the Department of Justice announced charges against six Blackwater security guards for a shooting incident in Baghdad in September 2007. But before the histories are written, it is crucial to understand the often mischaracterized role of security contractors in this unique war.

In Iraq, State Department civilians and U.S. soldiers have been operating in the same location in an active war zone. While the troops have been facing insurgents, the State Department civilians have been working to rebuild institutions and infrastructure. Blackwater's role in this war evolved from this unprecedented dynamic. The government saw a need for highly experienced, highly trained Americans to protect our civilians abroad, and so it selected Blackwater.

Every individual who has worked for Blackwater in Iraq has previously served in the U.S. military or as a police officer. Many were highly decorated. And from the beginning, these individuals have been bound by detailed contracts that ensure intensive government direction and control.

The U.S. government sets comprehensive standards for the selection and training of security guards. Blackwater's competitively awarded contract contains dozens of pages detailing requirements for each position and specifying hour-by-hour training for each individual. This is all before they set foot in Iraq.

I have seen firsthand how the security environment has vacillated considerably since 2003, when I would ride around Baghdad in thin-skinned vehicles rather than the military armored personnel carriers that soon became necessary amid the growing threat of roadside attacks. While still extraordinarily dangerous, the situation in Iraq has improved significantly since the time of the September 2007 shooting incident in Nisour Square.

According to a Department of Defense report to Congress, from mid-June to mid-July 2007 -- the time frame that preceded the September 2007 shooting incident -- Baghdad experienced an average of 43 attacks per day, more than double the attacks in any other province. During the week before the Nisour Square incident, one of Blackwater's helicopters was shot down, a separate team came under fire from armed insurgents, and a third team survived a roadside bomb. Even amidst such an aggressive and ubiquitous enemy, Blackwater's incident reports during that time period show that personnel discharged their weapons less than one half of one percent of the time.

Then and now, Blackwater personnel encounter myriad potential or actual hostile acts on a daily basis. Enemies attack with rocket- propelled grenades, sniper fire and car bombs. Responding to these attacks often requires split-second decisions, and so Blackwater's contracts include detailed rules for the use of force. Our teams operate under a government-prescribed process that involves a series of visual and audible signals to distinguish between approaching civilian motorists and insurgents attempting to get close enough to a convoy to ignite a car bomb.

The U.S. government currently has criminal jurisdiction over Blackwater and any other contractor accused of wrongdoing. In announcing indictments this week, Jeffrey A. Taylor, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia said, "It bears emphasis that today's indictment is very narrow in its allegations. Six individual Blackwater guards have been charged with unjustified shootings on September 16, 2007, not the entire Blackwater organization in Baghdad. There were 19 Blackwater guards on the Raven 23 team that day at Nisour Square. Most acted professionally, responsibly, and honorably. Indeed this indictment should not be read as an accusation against any of those brave men and women who risk their lives as Blackwater security contractors."

One of these brave people is Derrick Wright. In April 2007, a rocket tore through the Baghdad living quarters where Blackwater personnel were sleeping. Fortunately, no one was killed. But many were seriously injured, including Mr. Wright, a West Point graduate, Army Ranger and father of three. He suffered grave injuries when a portion of his skull was shattered in the attack.

Stabilized in the Green Zone, Mr. Wright was airlifted to a hospital in Europe where his prognosis was bleak. When Mr. Wright's wife arrived, she found her husband coming out of brain surgery and described him as a man who "had one foot in this world and one out." He has since shown remarkable progress after extensive physical therapy, a cranioplasty to repair damage to his skull, and many other procedures.

Derrick Wright and the other team members injured that day were not in Iraq to fight the war. Just like every Blackwater professional who makes the trip to Iraq, they were putting their lives at risk each day to protect U.S. Department of State officials and other civilians working in the country. Yet somehow that role and the part they play in this war have been grossly misunderstood.

While some of our critics seize upon inaccurate labels, I doubt they have ever known one of our contractors personally or been protected by them. Our teams are not cooking meals or moving supplies. They are taking bullets. They are military veterans who have chosen to serve their country once again. Very few people know someone who would voluntarily go into a war zone to protect a person he has never met. I know 1,000 of them, and I am proud that they are part of our team.

Mr. Prince, a former Navy SEAL, is founder and CEO of Blackwater Worldwide.
Cry havoc and unleash the hawgs of war - Otatsiihtaissiiststakio piksi makamo ta psswia
Avatar de Usuario
Loopster
Jefe de Operaciones
Jefe de Operaciones
Mensajes: 3298
Registrado: 10 Ene 2007 12:32
Ubicación: 22 Bunker

Re: PMC: Blackwater

Mensaje por Loopster »

Los abogados de los contratistas de Raven 23 acusados han pasado a la prensa (precisamente a Lara Jordan de AP) la transcripción de la comunicación radio entre Raven 23 y sus mandos en la embajada:
Blackwater radio logs: Guards took incoming fire
BY MATT APUZZO and LARA JAKES - Associated Press Writers (WASHINGTON)



Radio logs from a deadly 2007 shooting in Baghdad cast doubt on U.S. government claims that Blackwater Worldwide security guards were unprovoked when they killed 14 Iraqi civilians.

The transcripts of Blackwater radio reports, obtained by The Associated Press, describe a hectic eight minutes in which the guards repeatedly reported incoming gunfire from insurgents and Iraqi police.

Five guards face manslaughter and weapons charges for their roles in the shootings. A sixth has pleaded guilty. Prosecutors said the men unleashed a gruesome attack on unarmed Iraqis, including women, children and people trying to escape. But the radio logs from the Sept. 16, 2007 shooting suggest otherwise. Copies of the logs were turned over to prosecutors by Blackwater.

Because Blackwater guards were authorized to fire in self-defense, any evidence their convoy was attacked will make it harder for the Justice Department to prove they acted unlawfully.

The logs, which document radio traffic heard by the company's dispatch center inside the U.S.-controlled Green Zone, show that the Blackwater convoy known as Raven 23 reported taking small arms fire—or SAF— from insurgents within one minute of shutting down traffic in Baghdad's Nisoor Square.

"Mult insuirg SAF @ R23," the log states at 12:12 p.m.

One minute later, the Raven 23 convoy reported taking fire from Iraqi police: "R23 rpts IPs shooting @ R23."

It's unclear why Iraqi police would fire on the Blackwater convoy. Prosecutors could argue the police fired because they believed Blackwater was attacking civilians. It's also common for insurgents to dress as Iraqi police or military officials.

Raven 23 was told to leave the square and return to the Green Zone at 12:14, according to the logs. But one minute later, the convoy reported that one of its heavily armored vehicles was disabled. Guards jumped out of another truck and set up a tow rig, still under fire, according to the logs.

"R23 in trfc still under sporadic SAF," the log shows at 12:20 p.m., as the convoy made its way back to the Green Zone.

"Unless these guys are lying to their command watch in real time, making up stuff, that's real-time reporting that they were taking small arms fire," said defense attorney Thomas Connolly, who represents Nick Slatten, a former Army sergeant and indicted Blackwater guard.

Connolly provided the logs to the AP because he said prosecutors knew there was evidence of a firefight, yet unfairly described it as a massacre.

"The Justice Department began their presentation to the American people with a lie," Connolly said.

Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd declined to discuss the contents of the logs. "We cannot comment on evidence related to a pending case, but we are fully prepared to address in court arguments made by the defense concerning the documents you reference," he said.

Blackwater, based in Moyock, N.C., confirmed the authenticity of the logs but declined further comment.

The logs add a new uncertainty to an already murky case. Iraqi witnesses say Blackwater fired the only shots. And some Raven 23 members, including at least one who set up the tow rig, told authorities they saw no gunfire, according to people close to the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Others in the convoy told authorities they did see enemy gunfire. And Blackwater turned over to prosecutors pictures of vehicles pocked with bullet holes, which the company says proves the guards were shot at. The photos were not time-stamped, however, and the trucks were repainted and repaired by the time FBI agents began investigating.

The Iraqi government has labeled the guards "criminals" and is closely watching the Blackwater case. The shooting strained diplomacy between Washington and Baghdad and fueled anti-American insurgency in Iraq.

U.S. prosecutors were aggressive in their charges against the guards. They used an anti-machine gun law to attach 30-year mandatory prison sentences to the charges. And though they can't say for sure exactly which guards shot which victims, all five guards are charged with 14 counts of manslaughter.

A sixth Blackwater guard struck a deal with prosecutors, turned on his former colleagues, and pleaded guilty to killing one Iraqi and wounding another.

"Those who engaged in unprovoked and illegal attacks on civilians, whether during times of conflict or times of peace, will be held accountable," national security prosecutor Patrick Rowan told reporters when announcing the indictments.

Mark Hulkower, an attorney representing Army veteran and former Blackwater guard Paul Slough, said the logs undermine that claim.

"It's absolutely bizarre that the Department of Justice thinks it can call balls and strikes for every shot fired in a firefight," Hulkower said. "I think a jury would be reluctant to do that."

In all, 17 Iraqis were killed in the assault. Rowan said evidence in the case could only prove the guards shot 14, although he left open the possibility of future charges. Blackwater Worldwide and its corporate officers were not charged.

Un buen palo para los que pensaban llamar a testificar a policías iraquíes, además de haber estado la semana pasada en Bagdad reuniéndose con estos y ofreciendo dinero por su testimonio. Casualmente uno de los oficiales de la policía iraquí arrestados hoy por estar preparando un golpe de estado era el jefe de policía del distrito de Al Mansour durante el tiroteo de Nisour ¿casualidad? :twisted:

Por si alguien no pilla el lenguaje radio lo que dicen es

"Multiple insurgents shooting small arms fire at Raven 23" y "Raven 23 reports Iraqi Police shooting at Raven 23".
Cry havoc and unleash the hawgs of war - Otatsiihtaissiiststakio piksi makamo ta psswia
Avatar de Usuario
Loopster
Jefe de Operaciones
Jefe de Operaciones
Mensajes: 3298
Registrado: 10 Ene 2007 12:32
Ubicación: 22 Bunker

Re: PMC: Blackwater

Mensaje por Loopster »

Transcripción radio:

Imagen

Impresionante la cantidad de equipos de Blackwater que tuvieron que salir. Red 4, Raven 22, Raven 24, Air, Red 13, Raven 26... aparte de Raven 23.

¿Y cómo fue para Blackwater la semana previa al tiroteo de Nisour? Lo normal, un helicóptero derribado por RPG y el equipo DART (de recuperación de aeronaves y tripulaciones) emboscado por tres docenas de insurgentes, un convoy atacado por un grupo de 50 insurgentes en un combate que duró varias horas, un ataque con EFP que arrancó de cuajo el motor de un MRAP y mandó al tirador de la torreta a veinte metros de distancia y al que se estabilizó y evacuó bajo el fuego de morteros y francotiradores... otra semana en el paraiso.
Cry havoc and unleash the hawgs of war - Otatsiihtaissiiststakio piksi makamo ta psswia
Avatar de Usuario
Loopster
Jefe de Operaciones
Jefe de Operaciones
Mensajes: 3298
Registrado: 10 Ene 2007 12:32
Ubicación: 22 Bunker

Re: PMC: Blackwater

Mensaje por Loopster »

Otra ronda de fotos de los Bell, a.k.a. Bluebirds

Imagen Imagen Imagen Imagen Imagen Imagen


Y la nueva Challenge Coin, aunque por supuesto hay otros modelos de monedas por cada equipo, operación, contrato, cursos especiales,...

Imagen Imagen
Cry havoc and unleash the hawgs of war - Otatsiihtaissiiststakio piksi makamo ta psswia
KS

Re: PMC: Blackwater

Mensaje por KS »

En la revista Time, edición europea, de 22 de diciembre, pone lo siguiente:

The Justice Department unsealed a statement given by a sixth guard recounting the 2007 incident in which dozens of people were shot. In the account, Jeremy Ridgeway describes how he and five other men opened fire on cars and even a girls' school, claiming it was donde without provocation.

Un saludo,
KS
Avatar de Usuario
Loopster
Jefe de Operaciones
Jefe de Operaciones
Mensajes: 3298
Registrado: 10 Ene 2007 12:32
Ubicación: 22 Bunker

Re: PMC: Blackwater

Mensaje por Loopster »

Estupenda fotografía de tres de los vehículos que conforman los Tactical Support Team, muy reciente dado que incluye la nueva pintura y marcas.

Imagen

De izquierda a derecha: Mamba de la firma Alvis, Bearcat de Lenco y Puma de Regis Trading.

Fijaros en los dos montajes de M240, el inhibidor y el ariete que lleva el Puma. Entre el Puma y el Bearcat se aprecia al fondo un Saxon.
Cry havoc and unleash the hawgs of war - Otatsiihtaissiiststakio piksi makamo ta psswia
MrX
Apoyo Tecnico
Apoyo Tecnico
Mensajes: 70
Registrado: 01 Nov 2007 14:41

Re: PMC: Blackwater

Mensaje por MrX »

Loopster, me gustaría que me respondieras a una pregunta e incluso resolverme una duda. Ojalá tengas una respuesta segura, pero viendo lo que hay, me parece que puede ser más una opinión.

Si no son ejércitos privados (que sigo interpretando que lo son) ¿Ante quién responde un integrante de este ejército en el caso de que haya cometido un delito en acto de servicio? ¿Ante la justica del país del que es nacional? ¿Ante la del Estado que había contratado sus servicios? ¿Ante la del Estado en el que comete el delito?

Respecto a que la propia ONU utilice servicios de empresas de seguridad privada, ya dije que la legislación internacional cada cual se la salta como quiere y cuando quiere. No iba a ser la ONU una excepción teniendo en cuenta que la integran los mismos (los Estados) que se saltan la legislación internacional cuando conviene.

MrX
"Las armas se deben reservar para el último lugar, donde y cuando los otros medios no basten." Maquiavelo
Responder

Volver a “Private Military Companies, PMCs”