Outraged Iraqi authorities on Wednesday condemned the killing in Baghdad of two women by foreign security guards, as the Australian-managed firm which hired the contractors defended its action.
Tuesday’s bloodbath comes just days after Iraq vowed to punish United States security firm Blackwater after a probe found that its guards opened “deliberate” fire in Baghdad three weeks ago, killing 17 civilians.
“The government and the prime minister and everybody categorically condemns the actions of this company,” the head of the Baghdad security plan, General Qassim Mussawi said in a statement.
“Our weapon is the law for this company and we will try to study this issue calmly.”
Witnesses to Tuesday’s shooting in the Karrada neighbourhood said a woman taxi driver mistakenly got too close to the firm’s convoy and came under immediate gunfire by the guards, who work for Dubai-based Unity Resources Group.
The taxi driver, Maroni Awanis (49) and a female passenger in the front seat died of gunshots to the head. Another woman passenger was wounded in the shoulder, while a child was injured by flying glass.
Several witnesses reported barrages of gunfire while a policeman who witnessed the shooting said that after blazing away at the car the foreign security guards sped off “like gangsters”.
“The first information that we have is that our security team was approached at speed by a vehicle which failed to stop despite an escalation of warnings which included hand signals and a signal flare,” Unity said in a statement.
“Finally shots were fired at the vehicle and it stopped. Unity is now working with the Iraqi authorities to determine the outcome of this incident.”
“We deeply regret this incident,” the company said.
The US State Department initially said the shooting had nothing to do with it or the US government.
However, a US embassy spokesperson in Baghdad said on Wednesday that Unity was employed by a non-profit organisation under contract to the US government agency USAid.
“USAid does not direct the security arrangements of contractors. Contractors are contractually responsible for the safety and well being of their employees,” said spokesperson Mirembe Nantongo.
“We extend our sympathy to the families of the victims,” she said, adding that the State Department was in contact with the Iraqi authorities about the incident.
Immediately after the shootings, Agence France-Presse approached Unity officials at their base in Masbar, who denied any of their vehicles had been out at all on Tuesday.
“We had no missions today,” one official said.
The Iraqi government said on Monday that it was determined to rein in private security contractors operating in the war-torn country following the Blackwater shooting.
“We have set strict mechanisms to control the behaviour of the security companies and their conduct in the streets,” interior ministry spokesperson Abdul Karim Khalaf said.
The role of private security companies operating in Iraq has been under the scanner since September 16, when Blackwater USA guards escorting a convoy of US diplomats opened fire in Baghdad.
An Iraqi government probe of the incident, which it said killed 17 civilians, found that the guards were not provoked.
“Employees of the company violated the rules governing use of force by security companies. They have committed a deliberate crime and should be punished under the law.”
Iraqi and US officials have set up a joint commission to investigate the activities of private security companies. – AFP