Man, I had Petraeus pegged wrong. Not only are things going well, non-Iraqi civilians don't even have to go out anymore. Actually, they are being banned from traveling outside the Green Zone but hey, whats the difference? Apparently that little Blackwater incident that ended up killing several civilians angered the people of Iraq to such a degree that it is too dangerous to be anywhere in the country, except for maybe the Green Zone.
From The Huffington Post:
BAGHDAD — The United States on Tuesday suspended all land travel by U.S. diplomats and other civilian officials in Iraq outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, amid mounting public outrage over the alleged killing of civilians by the U.S. Embassy's security provider Blackwater USA.
The move came even as the Iraqi government appeared to back down from statements Monday that it had permanently revoked Blackwater's license and would order its 1,000 personnel to leave the country _ depriving American diplomats of security protection essential to operating in Baghdad.
"We are not intending to stop them and revoke their license indefinitely but we do need them to respect the law and the regulation here in Iraq," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told CNN.
Details of the weekend shootings haven't been released, but the New York Times reported late Tuesday that a preliminary review by Iraq's Ministry of Interior found that violence erupted as Blackwater security guards fired at a car when it did not heed a policeman's call to stop, killing a couple and their infant.
Imagine that happening here? We'd be attacking every country in sight. Over there, its just another day, another atrocity committed by forces that aren't accountable to anyone. The Iraqis tried to look tough and expel Blackwater, but now they are being pressured to sit down and behave. How pathetic.
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