BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. forces detained 16 American private security contractors and three Iraqis late last month after they opened fire on civilians and U.S. Marines in Falluja, the U.S. military said on Thursday. The 19, employed by U.S. company Zapata Engineering, were held after two shooting incidents in the space of three hours in the city west of Baghdad. No one was hurt in the shootings. The men were released after three days in detention.
"At approximately 2 p.m. on May 28, Marines of Regimental Combat Team 8 in Falluja reported receiving small arms fire from gunman in several late-model trucks and sport utility vehicles," the U.S. military said in a statement. "Marines also witnessed passengers in the vehicles firing at and near civilian cars on the street. "Three hours later, another Marine observation post was fired on by gunman from vehicles matching the description of those involved in the earlier attack. Marines saw passengers in the vehicles firing out the windows," the statement said.
The vehicles were stopped when spiked strips were thrown across the road. The 19 men were taken into custody at a U.S. military camp on the outskirts of Falluja. The statement gave no explanation for why the men might have opened fire on the Marine observation posts and the civilian vehicles. | Stupidity comes to mind. So does alcohol |
Zapata Engineering, a small firm based in Charlotte, North Carolina, employs a handful of people in Iraq, where it has a contract to dispose of unexploded ordnance. The company was not immediately reachable for comment. The contractors' weapons and vehicles were impounded as part of an investigation by the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which oversees the Marines. |