March 31, 2004 4 Blackwater USA security personnel were escorting 3 flatbed trucks to pick up...
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Transcript of March 31, 2004 4 Blackwater USA security personnel were escorting 3 flatbed trucks to pick up...
March 31, 2004
4 Blackwater USA security personnel were escorting 3 flatbed
trucks to pick up kitchen supplies for the US Army
They had no time to prep for the mission
They had no rear gunners
They had no maps of the area
They had no heavy machine guns and rode in unarmored SUVs
Once in Fallujah, their convoy came to a halt in heavy traffic.
There the two SUVs were ambushed from behind.
Because they had no rear gunner and no heavy machine guns, they did
not see the ambush coming and were left to defend themselves with
only their M4s.
Videos and pictures of the aftermath led to what is now referred to as the First
Battle for Fallujah, a movement led by the US Army and Marines to retake the city.
The intensity of the siege and the number of Iraqi civilians killed led to
building resentment against US troops, who did not distinguish between
soldiers and civilian security contractors.
Part of the bridge where the burnt bodies of the four Blackwater guards
were hung after US Marines retook the bridge
When Blackwater tried to hide documents pertaining to the mission, the family
members of those killed finally sued Blackwater for the documents.
Blackwater tried to say that the documents were classified by the government
when they were not.
As a result of this incident Blackwater has lost many of their contracts and have
changed their name several times to distance themselves from the incident.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNu3-ieOVc8
video talking about contractors in Iraq and the dangers they face. Could play all or part of it?