Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army

by Jeremy Scahill

  57 Jim Steele’s “Premiere Speakers Bureau” bio. Steele, of course, does not refer to them as “death squads” but rather a “counter-terrorist force.”

  58 Jon Lee Anderson, “Letter From Baghdad: The Uprising,” The New Yorker, May 3, 2004.

  59 Ibid.

  60 Ibid.

  61 Peter Maass, “The Salvadorization of Iraq?” The New York Times Magazine, May 1, 2005.

  62 Ibid.

  63 Jim Steele’s “Premiere Speakers Bureau” bio.

  64 Jon Lee Anderson, “Letter From Baghdad: The Uprising,” The New Yorker, May 3, 2004.

  CHAPTER 9 1 David Barstow, James Glanz, Richard A. Oppel Jr., and Kate Zernike, “Security Companies: Shadow Soldiers in Iraq,” New York Times, April 19, 2004.

  2 One of the best and most comprehensive and credible histories of Muqtada al-Sadr can be found in Anthony Shadid’s book Night Draws Near.

  3 Robert Fisk, “Iraq on the Brink of Anarchy,” The Independent (London), April 6, 2004.

  4 This would later be official policy with the implementation of Coalition Provisional Authority Order 17, June 27, 2004.

  5 Jeffrey Gettleman, “A Young Radical’s Anti-U.S. Wrath Is Unleashed,” New York Times, April 5, 2004.

  6 Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Anthony Shadid, “U.S. Targeted Fiery Cleric in Risky Move; As Support for Sadr Surged, Shiites Rallied for Fallujah,” Washington Post, April 11, 2004.

  7 Jason Burke, Kamal Ahmed, Jonathon Steele, and Ed Helmore, “Ten Days That Took Iraq to the Brink,” The Observer (London), April 11, 2004.

  8 Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Anthony Shadid, “U.S. Targeted Fiery Cleric in Risky Move; As Support for Sadr Surged, Shiites Rallied for Fallujah,” Washington Post, April 11, 2004.

  9 Jeffrey Gettleman, “A Young Radical’s Anti-U.S. Wrath Is Unleashed,” New York Times, April 5, 2004.

  10 Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Anthony Shadid, “U.S. Targeted Fiery Cleric in Risky Move; As Support for Sadr Surged, Shiites Rallied for Fallujah,” Washington Post, April 11, 2004.

  11 Jeffrey Gettleman, “U.S. Accepts Responsibility, But Not Blame, in Deaths of 2 Iraqi Journalists,” New York Times, March 30, 2004.

  12 Anthony Shadid, Night Draws Near, p. 367.

  13 Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Anthony Shadid, “U.S. Targeted Fiery Cleric in Risky Move; As Support for Sadr Surged, Shiites Rallied for Fallujah,” Washington Post, April 11, 2004.

  14 Ibid.

  15 Dan Murphy, “Risks Rise for Iraqi Journalists,” Christian Science Monitor, April 5, 2004.

  16 Jeffrey Gettleman, “A Young Radical’s Anti-U.S. Wrath Is Unleashed,” New York Times, April 5, 2004.

  17 Mohamad Bazzi (Newsday), “U.S. Goes After the Cleric Who Incited Violence, Move Against Shiite Could Spark More Clashes in Iraq,” Seattle Times, April 6, 2004.

  18 Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Anthony Shadid, “U.S. Targeted Fiery Cleric in Risky Move; As Support for Sadr Surged, Shiites Rallied for Fallujah,” Washington Post, April 11, 2004.

  19 Ibid.

  20 Ibid.

  21 Jeffrey Gettleman, “A Young Radical’s Anti-U.S. Wrath Is Unleashed,” New York Times, April 5, 2004.

  22 Anne Barnard, “Cleric Followers Battle US Troops; Shi’ite Protests in Iraq Cities Turn Violent, Kill 8 Americans,” Boston Globe, April 5, 2004.

  23 Anthony Shadid, Night Draws Near, p. 369.

  24 Ibid.

  25 David Barstow, “Security Firm Says Its Workers Were Lured Into Iraqi Ambush,” New York Times, April 9, 2004.

  26 Unless otherwise noted, Corporal Lonnie Young’s account of the battle at Najaf on April 4, 2004, is drawn from the following: U.S. Fed News, “True Grit: Real-Life Account of Combat Readiness,” U.S. Marine Corps press release, September 2, 2004.

  27 Anthony Shadid, Night Draws Near, p. 370.

  28 Dana Priest, “Private Guards Repel Attack on U.S. Headquarters,” Washington Post, April 6, 2004.

  29 Kate Wiltrout, “‘If I Had to Die, It Would Be Defending My Country,’” Virginian-Pilot, September 18, 2004.

  30 Dana Priest, “Private Guards Repel Attack on U.S. Headquarters,” Washington Post, April 6, 2004.

  31 Anthony Shadid, Night Draws Near, p. 370.

  32 Author copy of video.

  33 David Barstow, “Security Firm Says Its Workers Were Lured Into Iraqi Ambush,” New York Times, April 9, 2004.

  34 Ibid.

  35 Kate Wiltrout, “‘If I Had to Die, It Would Be Defending My Country,’” Virginian-Pilot, September 18, 2004.

  36 David Barstow, “Security Firm Says Its Workers Were Lured Into Iraqi Ambush,” New York Times, April 9, 2004.

  37 Author copy of video.

  38 John G. Roos, “1-shot killer; This 5.56mm Round Has All the Stopping Power You Need—But You Can’t Use It,” The Army Times, December 1, 2003.

  39 Ben Thomas aka “Mookie Spicoli,” posting on “Get Off The X” forum, October 12, 2006. http://getoffthex.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/440107932/m/7871025602?r=6851057602#6851057602, captured November 21, 2006.

  40 Ibid.

  41 Ibid.

  42 Dana Priest, “Private Guards Repel Attack on U.S. Headquarters,” Washington Post, April 6, 2004.

  43 Robert Fisk, “Three-Hour Gun Battle Leaves 22 Dead as Shia Join Iraq Conflict,” The Independent (London), April 5, 2004.

  44 Dana Priest, “Private Guards Repel Attack on U.S. Headquarters,” Washington Post, April 6, 2004.

  45 Kate Wiltrout, “‘If I Had to Die, It Would Be Defending My Country,’” Virginian-Pilot, September 18, 2004.

  46 Transcript, “Coalition Provisional Authority Briefing With Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, Deputy Director for Coalition Operations,” Department of Defense Briefing, April 5, 2004.

  47 David Barstow, “Security Firm Says Its Workers Were Lured Into Iraqi Ambush,” New York Times, April 9, 2004.

  48 “Deadly Clashes Erupt Between Iraqi Shiites and Coalition Troops,” Agence France-Presse, April 4, 2004.

  49 Kate Wiltrout, “‘If I Had to Die, It Would Be Defending My Country,’” Virginian-Pilot, September 18, 2004.

  50 Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Anthony Shadid, “U.S. Targeted Fiery Cleric in Risky Move; As Support for Sadr Surged, Shiites Rallied for Fallujah,” Washington Post, April 11, 2004.

  51 Robert Fisk, “Three-Hour Gun Battle Leaves 22 Dead as Shia Join Iraq Conflict,” The Independent (London), April 5, 2004.

  52 Anne Barnard, “Cleric Followers Battle US Troops; Shi’ite Protests in Iraq Cities Turn Violent, Kill 8 Americans,” Boston Globe, April 5, 2004.

  53 Ibid.

  54 Transcript, Democracy Now! August 31, 2005.

  55 Melinda Liu, “Mean Streets: Inside the Brutal Battle of Sadr City. As a Venue for Urban Warfare, This Is As Bad As It Gets,” Newsweek (Web exclusive), April 27, 2004.

  56 Ibid.

  57 Hala Boncompagni, “US Brands Radical Shiite Cleric an Outlaw Amid Anti-Coalition Uprising,” Agence France-Presse, April 5, 2004.

  58 “Warrant Outstanding for Arrest of Cleric Behind Iraq Unrest: Coalition,” Agence France-Presse, April 5, 2004. Note: The CPA claimed that the warrant had been issued months earlier by an Iraqi judge insisting that the timing of the release of the warrant was a decision of that judge and not occupation officials.

  59 “Privatizing Warfare,” New York Times editorial, April 21, 2004.

  60 Ibid

  CHAPTER 10 1 Seattle Times news services, “8 U.S. Troops Killed in Iraqi Shiite Revolt Anti-U.S. Cleric’s Backers Riot; Coalition Calls in Jets, Copters; In Separate Action Today, Marines Move to Retake Control of Fallujah,” Seattle Times, April 5, 2004.

  2 Bassem Mroue, “Marines Tighten the Noose on Rebel Town,” Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia), April 7, 2004.

  3 Pamela Constable, “Marines, Insurgents Battle for Sunni City; Death Toll Disputed in Air Attack on Mosque,” Washington Post, April 8, 2004.

  4 Bassem Mroue, “Marines Tighten the Noose on Rebel Town,” Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australi
a), April 7, 2004.

  5 Pamela Constable, “Marines, Insurgents Battle for Sunni City; Death Toll Disputed in Air Attack on Mosque,” Washington Post, April 8, 2004.

  6 Bassem Mroue, “Marines Tighten the Noose on Rebel Town,” Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia), April 7, 2004.

  7 Ibid.

  8 Ibid.

  9 Thomas E. Ricks, Fiasco, p. 333.

  10 Rajiv Chandrasekaran, “Anti-U.S. Uprising Widens in Iraq; Marines Push Deeper Into Fallujah; Cleric’s Force Tightens Grip in Holy Cities,” Washington Post, April 8, 2004.

  11 Thanassis Cambanis, “Americans Advance on Fallujah,” Boston Globe, April 8, 2004.

  12 Rajiv Chandrasekaran, “Anti-U.S. Uprising Widens in Iraq; Marines Push Deeper Into Fallujah; Cleric’s Force Tightens Grip in Holy Cities,” Washington Post, April 8, 2004.

  13 Ibid.

  14 Bassem Mroue and Abdul-Qader Saadi, “US Bombs Fallujah Mosque; More Than 40 Worshippers Killed; Revolutionary Violence Engulfs Iraq,” Associated Press, April 7, 2004.

  15 Jack Fairweather, “‘There Were Bodies by the Road But No One Stopped. We Just Wanted to Get Out of That Hellish Place;’ Jack Fairweather Talks to Families Who Fled the Fighting in Fallujah,” The Daily Telegraph (London), April 12, 2004.

  16 Rahul Mahajan, “Fallujah and the Reality of War,” Commondreams.org, November 6, 2004.

  17 David Blair, Alec Russell, and David Rennie, “Urban Warfare Grips Iraq; US Forces Hit Mosque Compound in Fallujah With Bombs and Rockets; Britons Evacuated as Coalition HQ Is Abandoned to the Mahdi Militia,” The Daily Telegraph (London), April 8, 2004.

  18 Pamela Constable, “Troops Gaining Grip in Sections of Fallujah,” Washington Post, April 7, 2004.

  19 Ibid.

  20 Ibid.

  21 Bing West, No True Glory, p. 176.

  22 Ibid.

  23 Thanassis Cambanis, “Americans Advance on Fallujah,” Boston Globe, April 8, 2004.

  24 Ibid.

  25 Patrick Cockburn, “Iraq: The Descent Into Chaos: US Has Killed 280 in Fallujah This Week, Says Hospital Doctor,” The Independent (London), April 9, 2004.

  26 Ibid.

  27 Anne Barnard, “Anger Over Fallujah Reaches Ears of the Faithful,” Boston Globe, April 11, 2004.

  28 Pamela Constable, “Marines Try to Quell ‘a Hotbed of Resistance,’” Washington Post, April 9, 2004.

  29 Thomas E. Ricks, Fiasco, p. 333.

  30 Ibid.

  31 Jack Fairweather, “‘There Were Bodies by the Road But No One Stopped. We Just Wanted to Get Out of That Hellish Place;’ Jack Fairweather Talks to Families Who Fled the Fighting in Fallujah,” The Daily Telegraph (London), April 12, 2004.

  32 Dahr Jamail, “Americans Slaughtering Civilians in Falluja,” The New Standard, April 11, 2004.

  33 Ibid.

  34 Dahr Jamail, “Sarajevo on the Euphrates: An Eyewitness Account From Inside the US Siege of Falluja,” TheNation.com (Web only), April 12, 2004.

  35 Rahul Mahajan, “Fallujah and the Reality of War,” Commondreams.org, November 6, 2004.

  36 Dahr Jamail, “Americans Slaughtering Civilians in Falluja,” The New Standard, April 11, 2004.

  37 Jeffrey Gettleman, “Marines Use Low-Tech Skill to Kill 100 in Urban Battle,” New York Times, April 15, 2004.

  38 Joshua Hammer, “Fallujah: In the Hands of Insurgents,” Newsweek, May 24, 2004: “Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, commander of the I Expeditionary Force, told NEWSWEEK that the Marines’ use of ‘precision’ weaponry ensured that ‘90 to 95 percent’ of Iraqis killed inside the city were combatants.”

  39 Jeffrey Gettleman, “Marines Use Low-Tech Skill to Kill 100 in Urban Battle,” New York Times, April 15, 2004.

  40 Mustafa Abdel-Halim, “U.S. Forces Want Al-Jazeera Out of Fallujah,” IslamOnline.net (Cairo), April 9, 2004.

  41 Transcript, Democracy Now! February 22, 2006.

  42 Ibid.

  43 Melinda Liu, “War of Perceptions: The U.S. Military Is Devising a Plan to End the Siege of Fallujah. But Will It Win on the Battleground of Iraqi Public Opinion?” Newsweek (Web exclusive), April 29, 2004.

  44 Mustafa Abdel-Halim, “U.S. Forces Want Al-Jazeera Out of Fallujah,” IslamOnline.net (Cairo), April 9, 2004: “‘American forces declared al-Jazeera must leave before any progress is made to settle the Fallujah stand-off,’ al-Jazeera director general Wadah Khanfar told IslamOnline.net, citing sources close to the Iraqi Governing Council.”

  45 Author copy, “Letter From Ahmed Mansour,” April 29, 2004.

  46 Transcript, “Coalition Provisional Authority Briefing With Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt,” Department of Defense Press Briefing, April 12, 2004.

  47 Ibid.

  48 Transcript, Defense Department Regular News Briefing, April 15, 2004.

  49 Ibid.

  50 Kevin Maguire and Andy Lines, “Exclusive: Bush Plot to Bomb His Arab Ally,” Daily Mirror (London), November 22, 2005.

  51 Ibid. Note: The United States bombed Al Jazeera’s offices in Afghanistan in 2001, shelled the Basra hotel where Al Jazeera journalists were the only guests in April 2003, killed Iraq correspondent Tareq Ayoub a few days later in Baghdad, and imprisoned several Al Jazeera reporters (including at Guantánamo), some of whom say they were tortured. In addition to the military attacks, the U.S.-backed Iraqi government banned the network from reporting in Iraq.

  52 Transcript, Democracy Now! February 22, 2006.

  53 Anne Barnard, “Anger Over Fallujah Reaches Ears of the Faithful,” Boston Globe, April 11, 2004.

  54 Christina Asquith, “Refugees Tell of Rising Anger in Fallujah,” Christian Science Monitor, April 14, 2004.

  55 Transcript, “President Addresses the Nation in Prime Time Press Conference,” The White House, April 13, 2004.

  56 Anne Barnard, “Anger Over Fallujah Reaches Ears of the Faithful,” Boston Globe, April 11, 2004.

  57 Jack Fairweather, “‘There Were Bodies by the Road But No One Stopped. We Just Wanted to Get Out of That Hellish Place;’ Jack Fairweather Talks to Families Who Fled the Fighting in Fallujah,” The Daily Telegraph (London), April 12, 2004.

  58 Anne Barnard, “Anger Over Fallujah Reaches Ears of the Faithful,” Boston Globe, April 11, 2004.

  59 White House News Release, January 20, 2004. The accompanying photo of Mrs. Bush and Pachachi read: “Mrs. Bush applauds her special guest, Dr. Adnan Pachachi, President of the Iraqi Governing Council, during President Bush’s State of the Union Address at the U.S. Capitol Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2004. ‘Sir, America stands with you and the Iraqi people as you build a free and peaceful nation,’ said the President in his acknowledgement of Dr. Pachachi.”

  60 Anne Barnard, “Anger Over Fallujah Reaches Ears of the Faithful,” Boston Globe, April 11, 2004.

  61 Anthony Shadid, Night Draws Near, p. 373.

  62 Rajiv Chandrasekaran, “Key General Criticizes April Attack in Fallujah Abrupt Withdrawal Called Vacillation,” Washington Post, September 13, 2004.

  63 Ibid.

  64 Transcript, Coalition Provisional Authority Press Briefing, Department of Defense News Transcript, April 12, 2004.

  65 Thanassis Cambanis, “U.N. Envoy Offers Plan for Interim Government,” Boston Globe, April 15, 2004.

  66 Transcript, This Week With George Stephanopoulos, ABC, April 25, 2004.

  67 Dahr Jamail, “Vigilant Resolve,” DahrJamailIraq.com, February 15, 2005.

  68 Patrick Cockburn, “The Failure in Iraq Is Even Deeper Than People Imagine,” The Independent (London), April 17, 2004.

  69 Transcript, Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing, April 20, 2004.

  70 Bill Sizemore and Joanne Kimberlin, “Blackwater: When Things Go Wrong,” Virginian-Pilot, July 26, 2006.

  71 Ibid.

  72 Author copy of AFP/Getty photo of Fallujah bridge.

  73 Dahr Jamail, “Vigilant Resolve,” DahrJamailIraq.com, February 15, 2005.

  CHAPTER 11 1 Whitney Gould, “Iraq Casualty Was a Born Leader; Gore, a St. John’s Northweste
rn Graduate, Died in Helicopter Crash,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 24, 2005.

  2 Unless otherwise noted, all quotes attributed to Danica Zovko and information about her experiences are based on interviews conducted by the author in the summer of 2006.