"We have canceled the license of Blackwater and prevented them from
working all over Iraqi territory," Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul
Karim Khalaf said. "We will also refer those involved to Iraqi judicial
authorities."
The order was issued on Monday after
the killing of 11 Iraqis following a bombing of a State Department convoy in
Baghdad the previous day. No State Department personnel were reported killed
or injured.
The Iraqi order threatened to spark a crisis with the United States.
Officials said Ms. Rice was scheduled to visit the Middle East on Tuesday and
could meet Al Maliki during her tour.
"They [Blackwater] opened fire randomly at citizens," Khalaf said.
Blackwater, involved in numerous killings of Iraqis, was said to employ
about 1,000 security guards, most of them former members of the U.S. Special
Operations Command. The contractor, based in North Carolina, provides
protection to U.S. officials, diplomats and VIPs, and guards reconstruction
and other projects.
"This was a crime about which we cannot be silent," Interior Minister
Jawad Al Bolani said. "Everyone should understand that whoever wants good
relations with Iraq should respect Iraqis. We are implementing the law and
abide by laws, and others should respect these laws and respect the
sovereignty and independence of Iraqis in their country."
The Iraqi Interior Ministry has blamed Blackwater for the shootout in
the Sunni neighborhood of Mansour on Sept. 16 in which 11 people were
killed and 13 injured. Officials said Blackwater security guards fired
randomly after a State Department motorcade was bombed.
"Blackwater regrets any loss of life, but this convoy was violently
attacked by armed insurgents, not civilians, and our people did their job to
defend human life," Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said.
"The bottom line is that the secretary wants to make sure that we do
everything we possibly can to avoid the loss of innocent life," State
Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
Congress said it would investigate Blackwater's activities in Iraq, with
hearings planned by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
House and Senate members have criticized the huge presence of U.S. private
military contractors in Iraq.
"The controversy over Blackwater is an unfortunate demonstration of the
perils of excessive reliance on private security contractors," House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Rep. Henry Waxman said.