Fire Blackwater: State Dept. Panel

Security firm's contract should not be renewed, advisory group says

By Nick McMaster

Posted Dec 17, 2008 1:03 PM CST

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Fire Blackwater: State Dept. Panel — The family of Ibrahim Abid, who was killed when Blackwater guards opened fire at a Baghdad square more than a year ago, visit his grave in Baghdad, Iraq on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

The US military should stop using contractors from Blackwater Worldwide, concludes a report by a State Department advisory panel, obtained by the AP. In light of numerous allegations of violent misconduct, Blackwater’s contract to defend American diplomats should not be renewed when it expires next year, the panel recommends. Five Blackwater contractors currently face manslaughter charges for killing 17 people in Baghdad.

The report was commissioned by Condoleezza Rice last September, after the Baghdad incident.

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