When the Iraqi government last month demanded the expulsion of Blackwater USA, the private security firm, I had one reaction: It's about time.
As a U.S. official in Baghdad for nearly two years, I was frequently the "beneficiary" of Blackwater's over-the-top zeal. "Just pretend it's a roller coaster," I used to tell myself during trips through downtown Baghdad.
We would careen around corners, jump road dividers, reach speeds in excess of 100 mph and often cross over to the wrong side of the street, oncoming traffic be damned.
One particularly infuriating time, I was in the town of Irbil in northern Iraq, being driven to a meeting with a Kurdish political leader. We were on a narrow stretch of highway with no shoulders and foot-high barriers on both sides. The lead Suburban in our convoy loomed up behind an old, puttering sedan driven by an older man with a young woman and three children.
As we approached at typical breakneck speed, the Blackwater driver honked furiously and motioned to the side, as if they should pull over. The kids in the back seat looked back in horror, mouths agape at the sight of the heavily armored Suburbans driven by large, armed men in dark sunglasses. The poor Iraqi driver frantically searched for a means of escape, but there was none. So the lead Blackwater vehicle smashed heedlessly into the car, pushing it into the barrier. We zoomed by too quickly to notice if anyone was hurt.
Until that point I had never mentioned anything to my drivers about their tactics, but this time I could not contain myself.
"Where do you all expect them to go?" I shrieked. "It was an old guy and a family, for goodness' sake. Was it necessary for them to destroy their poor old car?"
My driver responded impassively: "Ma'am, we've been trained to view anyone as a potential threat. You don't know who they might use as decoys or what the risks are. Terrorists could be disguised as anyone."
"Well, if they weren't terrorists before, they certainly are now!" I retorted. Sulking in my seat, I was stunned by the driver's indifference.
One of these days, and I'm not givin' anybody any ideas since I'm sure they've already thought of this, Iraqi locals, not necessarily organized insurgents but just pissed-off homies, are going to shove a bunch of old cars filled with cement in front of a Blackwater convoy, knowing the lead driver will try to bust through a roadblock at high speed, and let those macho (Spanish for 'mule') thugs run smack dab into the barrier and come to a crumpled halt, like an accordion daisy chain. Then they're gonna out with their household AKs and RPGs and waste 'em all. I can't say I'll blame them. It'll be like a Neighborhood Watch taking their street back from dope dealers and hoods.
If the Iraqi homeboys are smart, and I think they are, they'll then hide their guns, put on big shit-eatin' grins, and sell lemonade to the actual GIs who come to pull what's left of the mercs and their clients' fat out of the fire.
No comments:
Post a Comment