The House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would make security contractors in Iraq accountable under American criminal law. The measure was introduced in the wake of a furor over a deadly Sept. 16 shootout involving Blackwater USA employees, who were guarding U.S. diplomats. The bill, passed Thursday over strong objections from the White House, would require the FBI to investigate future complaints of wrongdoing.
It’s about time Blackwater and other contractors were “held accountable,” said the New York Post in an editorial. There is no justification for the current arrangement giving hired guns “blanket immunity,” especially since this has allowed some bad apples to get away with murder. “U.S. soldiers face court-martial for a lot less.”
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