Blackwater, Now with OversightNearly three months after the Nisour Square shootings, the long hard slog to establish effective oversight and control of security contractors continues. From The New York Times:
Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top United States commander in Iraq, and Ryan C. Crocker, the American ambassador to Baghdad, have agreed on the details governing the operations of Blackwater and other private security contractors there, American officials said Tuesday.The agreement requires all State Department convoys in Iraq to coordinate their movements with the military’s main operations center in Baghdad, sets minimum standards for training the contractors and outlines when armed guards may use force in self-defense.
But they’re not quite there yet: “One important issue the agreement does not address is the legal framework to prosecute any State Department contractors who violate the law.”
Update: ABC has more details.