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Iraqi Families Vent Anger Over Killings
Iraqis who survived, or had relatives perish in, the 2007 Nisoor Square shootings, arrive to discuss the prosecution of U.S. security guards.
(By Khalid Mohammed -- Associated Press)
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The Iraqis sat inside a sterile, white-walled room. Windows were covered by blue prints decorated with idyllic pictures of villages, parks and mountains. Just outside the base was the reminder of how imperfect their world truly was: Nisoor Square.
The Sept. 16, 2007, shooting triggered international outrage and launched congressional and FBI probes. Iraqis across the nation, of every sect, were furious at the actions of foreign security contractors, even more so by the blanket legal immunity they possessed, courtesy of the U.S. government. The shooting prompted the Iraqi government to demand the lifting of such immunity in a new security agreement with the United States signed earlier this month, although the protection remains for security contractors working with on-duty U.S. troops.
But hardly any of this mattered to those in the room. They listened intently as U.S. prosecutor Kenneth Kohl gave a brief statement to reporters.
"The aim of our visit is to meet the families of the victims and explain the charges that have been filed in the United States and to make ourselves available to any questions they might have," Kohl said.
To convince Entisar Atchan, Kohl had a lot to overcome. "I hate the Americans. They killed my only son. Until now, I have seen nothing from the Americans to get my rights," Atchan said.
Kohl spoke of the lengthy sentences that the Blackwater employees face if convicted: at least 30 years and perhaps the rest of their lives. Then he stressed that "sentencing will be left as a matter for the judge."
Hassan, Atchan's neighbor, snorted. "We want the jail for the whole life, not for 30 years," she said.
"We want execution," Atchan said. "When I remember this incident, fire burns inside my heart. He was my only son. And he joined the army to help feed us. And now he is gone."
After the meeting, Douraid Ishmail said he was not sure that the trial would bring justice. It is being conducted outside Iraq, and it might run on for months. But the Americans, he said, "promised us that justice will prevail."
"Today's meeting brought us some confidence," he added.
Special correspondent Qais Mizher contributed to this report.
