The AP has a slugged story up today discussing the latest Blackwater incident in which somewhere around 10 civilians were killed. *

Technically, the mercenaries are under US jurisdiction, it seems.

The fog of war keeps getting thicker. The Iraqi government's decision to temporarily ban the security company Blackwater USA after a fatal shooting of civilians in Baghdad reveals a growing web of rules governing weapons-bearing private contractors but few signs U.S. agencies are aggressively enforcing them.

Nearly a year after a law was passed holding contracted employees to the same code of justice as military personnel, the Bush administration has not published guidance on how military lawyers should do that, according to Peter Singer, a security industry expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

A Congressional Research Service report published in July said security contractors in Iraq operate under rules issued by the United States, Iraq and international entities such as the United Nations.

One would think that if the Bu$h people have not published new laws or rules regarding mercenaries the military could just apply the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but the UCMJ is specifically for members of the armed services. They’ve been having a hard time bringing serious punishment to soldiers who have admitted killing Iraqis, so the question seems moot.

A court-martial of a private-sector employee likely would be challenged on constitutional grounds, the research service said, while Iraqi courts do not have the jurisdiction to prosecute contractors without U.S. permission.

"It is possible that some contractors may remain outside the jurisdiction of U.S. courts, civil or military, for improper conduct in Iraq," the report said.

Blackwater and other private security firms long have been fixtures in Iraq, guarding U.S. officials and an international work force helping to rebuild the war-torn country.

And the Maliki government is still insisting that Blackwater is out of business in Iraq. PM Maliki has branded the incident a “criminal act.”

Interestingly, the State Department, probably Blackwater’s biggest client in Iraq, has decided it’s better to keep its contracted mercenaries out of sight until things cool down a bit. A 2006 article in The Nation indicates that Blackwater had been paid $320 million between 2004 and the time of the article. There appear to be some serious problems about this contract because of some irregularities. It seems Blackwater included profit in its overhead and its total costs, which would result "not only in a duplication of profit but a pyramiding of profit since in effect Blackwater is applying profit to profit."

However, if State just keeps its people hunkered down inside the Green Zone surely all this will blow over within a week or two when some new atrocity pops up. Iraq is the gift that just keeps on giving for grifters, grafters, scammers and skimmers.

US officials were barred on Wednesday from travelling by land outside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone amid fears of attacks after the alleged killing of civilians by private security firm Blackwater.

The suspension came as Washington grappled with ways to curb the damage from Sunday's clash in which Blackwater guards escorting US embassy officials opened fire in a Baghdad neighbourhood, killing 10 people and wounding 13.
…
"In light of a serious security incident involving a US embassy protective detail in... Baghdad, the embassy has suspended official US government civilian ground movements outside the (Green Zone) and throughout Iraq," the embassy said in a notice to Americans, a copy of which was received by AFP.

The Baghdad government is insisting Blackwater is out of business – it’s license (which apparently doesn’t exist) has been “suspended” and the company may be tried in an Iraqi court.

The owner and founder of Blackwater is Erik Prince, a deep pockets donor to the Republican Party. Tried in an Iraqi court? I don’t think so.

* - As of 830 AM today NPR radio is reporting the Maliki government is stating 20 civilians have been killed.