“‘This is a big mess that I don’t think anyone has their hands around yet,’ said another U.S. military official. ‘It’s not necessarily a bad thing these guys are being held accountable. Iraqis hate them, the troops don’t particularly care for them, and they tend to have a know-it-all attitude, which means they rarely listen to anyone — even the folks that patrol the ground on a daily basis.’ …

‘They are immature shooters and have very quick trigger fingers. Their tendency is shoot first and ask questions later,’ said an Army lieutenant colonel serving in Iraq. Referring to the Sept. 16 shootings, the officer added, ‘None of us believe they were engaged, but we are all carrying their black eyes.’”

UPDATE: A new report “finds that Blackwater and other private security firms in Iraq are detrimental to U.S. counterinsurgency efforts.” TPMuckracker has more.

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