Gates launches probe to investigate Blackwater USA contractors in Iraq

Unhappy with the Pentagon’s oversight of its private contractors in Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has dispatched a fact-finding team to probe further into the problem.\nGates’ press secretary, Geoff Morrell, said Wednesday that the Pentagon chief began asking questions about the military’s relationship with these contractors after 11 Iraqis were killed Sept. 16 in a shooting involving Blackwater USA contractors protecting a U.S. diplomatic convoy in Baghdad.\nThe Blackwater employees in that case were working for the State Department.\n“He’s asked some early questions, he’s received some early answers,” Morrell said. “Those answers, at least when it comes to the oversight component, have not been satisfactory.”\nMorrell would not elaborate on what Gates found unsatisfactory.\n“He has some real concerns about oversight of contractors in Iraq and he is looking for ways to sort of make sure we do a better job on that front,” Morrell told reporters at \nthe Pentagon.\nAs a result, Gates sent a five-person team to Iraq on Sunday to “talk to all the key players,” including Gen. David Petraeus and Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno – the top two U.S. commanders there – and obtain additional details for Gates by the end of this week, the press secretary said.\nAlso, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England issued a memorandum to commanders on Tuesday spelling out what authority they already have to ensure that private contractors comply with U.S. rules, \nMorrell said.\nThe memo tells the commanders that they have the authority to ensure that all security contractors are authorized and trained to carry weapons and that none has unauthorized weapons or ammunition, he added.\nThere are about 7,300 private contractors working for the Pentagon in Iraq, Morrell said, adding that about 5,000 of them are securing fixed sites of importance to the U.S. military or the Iraqi government.