Security firm's exit from Iraq is delayed

WASHINGTON - Armed guards from the security firm once known as Blackwater Worldwide are still protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq, even though the company has no license to operate there and has been told by the State Department its contracts will not be renewed.

Private security guards employed by the company, now known as Xe, are slated to continue ground operations in parts of Iraq long into the summer, far longer than had previously been acknowledged, government officials told the Associated Press.

In addition, helicopters working for Xe's aviation wing, Presidential Airways, will provide air security for U.S. diplomatic convoys into September, almost two years after the Iraqi government said it wanted the firm out.

The company's continued presence raises fresh questions about the strength of Iraq's sovereignty even as the Obama administration urges the budding government to take more responsibility for the nation's future.

Iraqis had long complained about incidents caused by Blackwater's operations. Then a shooting by Blackwater guards in Baghdad's Nisoor Square in September 2007 left 17 civilians dead, strained relations between Baghdad and Washington, and led U.S. prosecutors to bring charges against the Blackwater contractors involved.

That deadly incident was the end, Iraqi leaders said. Blackwater had to get out.

But State Department officials acknowledge the company is still there.

The company declined to comment about a timetable for leaving. "We follow the direction of our U.S. government client," Xe spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said. In February, Blackwater changed its name to Xe - pronounced ZEE - to leave its controversial reputation behind.

Defense analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va., said Iraq's ability to enforce bans on companies such as Blackwater might provide an early measure of the strength of its internal sovereignty. As the Iraqi leaders gain more control, he said, Blackwater's final exit will be inevitable.

"But let's face it," he said, "they're not entirely their own masters yet."

In Baghdad, an Iraqi security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said that while Xe would not be allowed to work in Iraq, the company needs "some time" to fully shut down its operations there. The official did not give further details on the timetable.

The State Department's continued reliance on Blackwater also underscores the difficulties facing the U.S. government in finding other options to protect its diplomats in dangerous areas.

Department officials said this month that Blackwater guards would stop protecting U.S. diplomats on the ground in Baghdad on May 7, when the company's contract for that specific job expires and a new security provider, Triple Canopy, takes over.

But in its statement after the Iraqi decision to prohibit Blackwater from operating there, State did not reveal that the firm has two other contracts - known as "task orders" - that do not expire until August and September, respectively.

Blackwater guards will remain on the ground protecting American diplomats in Hillah, Najaf, and Karbala, all south of Baghdad, until Aug. 4, according to the department.

And Presidential Airways - which operates two dozen helicopters - will continue to fly until Sept. 3, it said.

Blackwater has been shifting its focus to other lines of business, including international training and air support in places like Afghanistan and Africa.

A suicide bomber in an Iraqi army uniform struck a

U.S. military delegation visiting the mayor of violence-torn Baqubah yesterday, wounding eight American soldiers and

11 Iraqis and killing three Iraqi civilians.

Police officials said the attacker was disguised as a soldier - a tactic used before to pass through checkpoints - but U.S. forces have faced attacks from actual members of the security forces as well.

The attack in Baqubah,

35 miles northeast of Baghdad, occurred as

a group of Iraqi officials, led by Mayor Abdullah al-Hiyali, waited at the main gate of the municipal building to greet the American soldiers, said Raad al-Dahalaki, the deputy mayor. The mayor was not hurt.

- Associated Press

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