The Iraqi government has done next to nothing in the first years of its feeble existence. Of course they just aren't unified on much of anything. Muqtada al-Sadr continues to waffle on his support of the parliament and that ever-so-important oil deal keeps being elusive to all the parties involved. One good thing that did happen today was the expulsion of Blackwater USA. The U.S. mercenary group is hereafter banned from any operations within the country. Hooray!
From The Huffington Post:
BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government said Monday that it was revoking the license of an American security firm accused of involvement in the deaths of eight civilians in a firefight that followed a car bomb explosion near a State Department motorcade.
The Interior Ministry said it would prosecute any foreign contractors found to have used excessive force in the Sunday shooting. It was the latest accusation against the U.S.-contracted firms that operate with little or no supervision and are widely disliked by Iraqis who resent their speeding motorcades and forceful behavior.
Underscoring the seriousness of the matter, the State Department said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice planned to call Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to express regret and assure him that the U.S. has launched an investigation into the matter to ensure nothing like it happens again.
This is serious for Rice because a continued U.S. presence does not solely rely on the regular Army. There are so many mercenary groups like Blackwater operating in Iraq that provide essential security services for those in the upper-echelon in the Pentagon and for elected officials. Not only that, but the contracts that the Pentagon doles out to them consists of serious money. The neo-cons are on a never-ending quest to drain our economy into a larger pit of debt, so this must be terrible news for them.
Enough about Condi and the neo-cons. This is fantastic news for Iraqis. No longer will they be terrorized by Blackwater's abusive and aggressive "employees." The locals fear and loathe them, so at least there will be a little more peace from now on, at least from the Americans.
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