The Buried Blackwater Bombshell?

A couple weeks ago, a congressional committee issued a report on Blackwater. Started before the mid-September  shooting that has landed the company in so much trouble, the report detailed all sorts of misdeeds and got all sorts of attention.  The NYT had a Page One story on it. Mentioned briefly  in that piece was this:

Contrary to the terms of its contract, Blackwater sometimes engaged in offensive operations with the American military, instead of confining itself to its protective mission, the [report] found.

That struck me as a big deal at the time, and I meant to blog it. Two weeks later, it still strikes me as potentially a big deal--all the more so after reading a smart article in this morning's LAT suggesting that contractors like those at Blackwater could be  labeled as unlawful combatants if.... they engage in offensive operations. 

So, did they?

Comments

[BWJones]

And of course given the precedence that the US government has taken, if true, they have opened themselves up to imprisonment by other countries for becoming unlawful enemy combatants. Laws have two edges and if not carefully crafted, can cut the wrong way...