Editorial: Rules of engagement

Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007 | 7:03 a.m.

It took a deadly shooting incident Sunday in Baghdad to finally spark long overdue questions about the role of private security forces in Iraq.

For years there have been reports about these forces - essentially a privatized military - operating under their own rules of engagement, being accountable to virtually no one. They are despised by most Iraqis.

But since shortly after the war began the Bush administration has increasingly relied on these forces to protect government off icials, U.S. and foreign diplomats, and civilian workers.

Consistent with the way the Pentagon planned most of the Iraq war, the role for private security forces was largely an afterthought.

As a result, there has never been a clear understanding of who controls the approximately 30,000 guards, and in what ways they are accountable for their actions.

Finally, there appears to be an interest in sorting out these questions. The largest private security force in Iraq is Blackwater USA, a North Carolina company that became widely known in 2004 when four of its contractors were killed in Falluja.

On Sunday Blackwater forces shot and killed at least eight Iraqi citizens. The company says State Department officials came under attack and its people returned fire. Iraqi officials say the Blackwater guards fired first for no reason.

No official account of the incident is yet available. It is being investigated by the Iraqi and U.S. governments.

What is known is that the Iraqi government is furious and has ordered that Blackwater, at least for now, cease operating in the country - an order that was met with popular support.

The shootings have become a major incident, resulting in congressional interest and high-level diplomatic talks between Iraq and the U.S. We hope Congress stays involved and passes a bill that sets clear rules for the conduct and accountability of private security forces under contract with the U.S.