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**phernikas** · 04-28-2008, 08:24 PM

Posted by Punzie on Sept 28th, 2007

Founded in 1998 by former Navy Seals, Blackwater USA says it has prepared tens of thousands of security personnel to work in hot spots around the world. At its complex in North Carolina, it has shooting ranges for high-powered weapons, buildings for simulating hostage rescue missions and a bunkhouse for trainees.

The Blackwater installation is so modern and well-equipped that Navy Seals stationed at the Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Norfolk, Va., routinely use it, military officials said. So do police units from around the country, who come to Blackwater for specialized training.

The lengthy conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have given the company an even greater presence around the world, guarding diplomats and performing other security functions. In 2004, four of its employees were captured, killed and burned by a mob in the Sunni city of Fallujah. Pictures of their charred bodies hanging from lamp posts led President Bush to order a Marine assault against the city.

Iraqi officials have long complained about what they have called indiscriminate gunfire by private security forces hired by Americans. On Sept. 17, 2007, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry announced that the government had revoked Blackwater's license to operate in the country after gunfire from a convoy killed eight civilians.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/b...usa/index.html

04-28-2008, 08:24 PM	#3
phernikas Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 440 Senior Member	*Posted by Punzie on Sept 28th, 2007* Founded in 1998 by former Navy Seals, Blackwater USA says it has prepared tens of thousands of security personnel to work in hot spots around the world. At its complex in North Carolina, it has shooting ranges for high-powered weapons, buildings for simulating hostage rescue missions and a bunkhouse for trainees. The Blackwater installation is so modern and well-equipped that Navy Seals stationed at the Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Norfolk, Va., routinely use it, military officials said. So do police units from around the country, who come to Blackwater for specialized training. The lengthy conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have given the company an even greater presence around the world, guarding diplomats and performing other security functions. In 2004, four of its employees were captured, killed and burned by a mob in the Sunni city of Fallujah. Pictures of their charred bodies hanging from lamp posts led President Bush to order a Marine assault against the city. Iraqi officials have long complained about what they have called indiscriminate gunfire by private security forces hired by Americans. On Sept. 17, 2007, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry announced that the government had revoked Blackwater's license to operate in the country after gunfire from a convoy killed eight civilians. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/b...usa/index.html
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