Blackwater (Now Xe) Still Working In Iraq

[sabra]

Source: CBS News/AP

Different Name, No License, But Same Faces Still Working For U.S. Government

(AP) Armed guards from the security firm once known as Blackwater Worldwide are still protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq, even though the company has no license to operate there and has been told by the State Department its contracts will not be renewed two years after a lethal firefight that stirred outrage in Baghdad.

Private security guards employed by the company, now known as Xe, are slated to continue ground operations in parts of Iraq long into the summer, far longer than had previously been acknowledged, government officials told The Associated Press.

In addition, helicopters working for Xe's aviation wing, Presidential Airways, will provide air security for U.S. diplomatic convoys into September, almost two years after the Iraqi government first said it wanted the firm out.

The Washington Times first reported that Blackwater, or Xe, signed a $22.2 million deal in February with the State Department to keep the company working there through most of the summer.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/21/iraq/main4958842.shtml?tag=topHome;topStories