Blackwater backs ‘stringent accountability’ as guards violate rules of deadly force

BLACKWATER Worldwide supports “stringent accountability” for any wrongdoing, a spokeswoman said, following a report saying federal investigators found that the shooting deaths of at least 14 Iraqi civilians by its guards violated rules of deadly force.

The New York Times cited unidentified civilian and military officials as saying that the killings of at least 14 of the 17 Iraqi civilians shot by Blackwater personnel guarding a US Embassy convoy were found to have been unjustified and violated standards in place governing the use of deadly force.

Responding to the Times report, Anne Tyrrell, a Blackwater spokeswoman, said the company “supports the stringent accountability of the industry. If it is determined that one person was complicit in the wrongdoing, we would support accountability in that. The key people in this have not spoken with investigators.”