New explosive revelations about the infamous mercenary group formerly known as Blackwater, and its founder Erik Prince have come to light based upon allegations by two former employees filed in US district court in Virginia. The allegations, some of which are incredibly serious, include, but are not limited to the smuggling of weapons into Iraq by Blackwater, Accounting fraud, and the murders of former and current Blackwater employees who blew the whistle on Blackwater for their illegal practices and excessive use of force against civilians in Iraq.
In the past, this magazine has commented at great length about the brutality and criminality of Blackwater in Iraq. In addition, this writer has commented at length about the potential threat to freedom that arises from the use of mercenary soldiers by the United States government. Past incidents have included the infamous September 2007 Nisour Square shooting in which Blackwater employees opened fire upon civilians in a crowded market leaving 16 dead and scores more wounded. A further investigation into this event lead the Iraqi government to revoke Blackwater’s operating license. Because of this incident, and scores of others which include brutality and wanton murder on the part of Blackwater employees, all of which were protected from justice, lead to a media and public relations backlash which finally resulted in the name of the company being changed to Xe.
However, past examples of Blackwater brutality could be written off, even by the most cynical mind, as the result of a few over-stressed men in a warzone with too much machismo and not enough outlets for release, leading some to conclude that the atrocities were the result of a few maladjusted individuals seeking thrills and profit on a foreign battlefield. If the allegations which were submitted by John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 are true, they paint a picture of institutionalized corruption in which brutality and excessive force were encouraged. Also, the disturbing allegations of the Christian supremacist attitudes of Prince and the company are echoed by the declaration of John Doe #1 and #2. Other shocking allegations include but are not limited to:
- Hiring individuals involved in sex trafficking in Kosovo
- Use of prohibited weapons
- Destruction of evidence
- Money laundering
- Widespread use of drugs, steroids, alcohol, and prostitutes, including children
- Deployment of individuals unfit for service due to mental imbalances.
- Encouragement of the use of brutality and excessive lethal force
- Obstruction of justice
This list of allegations is incredibly damning to say the absolute least, and not only that but Prince himself, a former Navy SEAL with immense wealth and powerful political connections, is implicated in these crimes. Now, many people are more than willing to throw about slanders and defamation about their real and perceived political enemies. One of the most common of these slanders is that the opposition, or party one is in disagreement with, are acting like Nazis. Although I will stray from making that claim, in the interest of not being sued by Xe, Prince and company, I will direct the attention of the reader to one of the most infamous and brutal of the Nazi SS divisions during the Second World War; Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the 36th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, the Dirlewanger Brigade. After reading this fascinating, if not revolting article, one can come to their own conclusions regarding the actions and behavior of Blackwater.
Also, I would like to thank The Nation, and Jeremy Scahill for their excellent work over the past couple of years for covering Blackwater. Without Scahill and The Nation the true story of Blackwater would remain largely unknown to the general public at large, lost in the sea of sand and death known as the Iraq War.
