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Friday, April 3, 2009

Triple Canopy gets Blackwater account in Iraq

WASHINGTON — A leading U.S. security firm, whose officers have been charged with killing Iraqis, has been replaced.   

The State Department has replaced Blackwater Worldwide as a leading security contractor in Iraq. Blackwater, now known as Xe, has been replaced by Triple Canopy a month before the contract with the former was scheduled to expire.

"The department awarded Triple Canopy the ground task order for protective security details in Baghdad after a thorough evaluation of proposals from each company that had submitted bids," State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said.

In a briefing on April 1, Duguid said Triple, based in Herndon, Va., would begin a transition period with Xe, the new name of Blackwater in 2009. Iraq has told Xe, with headquarters in North Carolina, that it would not be allowed to operate in the Arab country.

Also In This Edition

Triple has been one of three private companies contracted to protect U.S. diplomatic personnel in Iraq. But Xe, with a helicopter fleet, has been the only company that provides air support.

Dyncorp International has also been contracted by the State Department in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.

In January 2009, the State Department said the Blackwater contract would not be renewed. The notification came several weeks after the Iraqi government banned Blackwater in wake of a shootout in Baghdad that left 17 Iraqis dead in 2007. Five former Blackwater guards have been charged with manslaughter in a U.S. court in connection with the shootout.

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