Iraq to back lawsuit against Blackwater guards

Iraq said Sunday it will support a lawsuit against Blackwater guards in a US court after they were acquitted on charges of killing 17 Iraqi civilians at a Baghdad traffic circle in 2007.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbaq said Sunday that Baghdad “will facilitate a lawsuit from Iraqi citizens to sue the guards and the company in a US court,” Reuters reported.

Last week, US District Court Judge Ricardo Urbina dismissed all charges against five members of Xe Services LLC, formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide, saying the defendants’ constitutional rights had been violated.

The five guards were charged with 17 counts of manslaughter, 20 of attempting to commit manslaughter and one weapons violation.

The decision angered the Iraqi people and Baghdad called it “unacceptable and unjust.”

Dabbagh said the government would also ask the US Justice Department to review the case against the guards.

He said the government was conducting an investigation into whether current or former Blackwater employees were still operating in the country, including with other firms.