Middle East Focus: Silent Killers of Baghdad, Legacy of Blackwater……….

Arabia Deserta

Silent Killers of Baghdad, Legacy of Blackwater……….

Walking on water

“Baghdad-- Gunmen using weapons equipped with silencers have killed more than 630 people in Iraq since June, the interior ministry has said. Trained hitmen have targeted government officials in a summer wave of killings during the political stalemate since inconclusive elections in March. Security personnel are particularly concerned because many colleagues are among the victims. They point to the increasing use of pistols and rifles fitted with the sound suppressors, which they say indicates the weapons are being used by professional killers. The ministry also said their investigations suggest government officials may be complicit in the murders by facilitating the import of high-quality silencers……”

They are probably killers for hire. To make an investment in silencers for pistols and rifles requires an expectation of payback. Not that I am an expert on weapons. They may have gotten the idea from the West, after 2003. If the mighty Western powers hire armed mercenaries and call them contractors (Blackwater, XE, etc), why not the Iraqis, individuals and factions alike? The goals are different, but the methods almost the same. It is not as much of a stretch as you’d think. Another sign of Westernization of Iraq, in addition to KFC and Taco del Mar (if these haven’t opened franchises yet in Baghdad, it is only a matter of time; I hear Mr. Allawi is looking for a new avocation but preferably in Jordan or the Gulf region).
Cheers
mhg

m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com