Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Will Blackwater Guards Be Prosecuted for Killing Iraqi Civilians?

    On September 15, Blackwater personnel guarding a State Department convoy killed 17 Iraqis on the streets of Baghdad. The guards have insisted they used their weapons in self-defense after being fired on first by civilians. Today's New York Times reports that FBI investigators have found the guards were unjustified in killing of 14 of the 17.

    • rss
    • Share
    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    On September 15, Blackwater personnel guarding a State Department convoy killed 17 Iraqis on the streets of Baghdad. The guards have insisted they used their weapons in self-defense after being fired on first by civilians. Today's New York Times reports that FBI investigators have found the guards were unjustified in killing of 14 of the 17. The Times cites unnamed civilian and military officials as saying that the guards violated deadly force rules covering contractors in Iraq. If the report is correct, the new Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, may have to decide whether to prosecute. Lawyer and law professor Kevin Lanigan served as a US Army judge advocate in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq.

    The full episode

    3 of 3
    Repairing Injustice in the War on Drugs
    1. 1:46French Transit Workers' Strike Tests Sarkozy's Power
    2. 7:23Mandatory Sentencing in the War on Drugs
    3. 43:22Will Blackwater Guards Be Prosecuted for Killing Iraqi Civilians?You’re reading this
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

      Sonya Geis

      Senior Managing Editor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Katie Cooper

      Producer, 'One year Later'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Kevin Lanigan

      former Judge Advocate, US Army Reserve

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    3 of 3
    Repairing Injustice in the War on Drugs
    1. 1:46French Transit Workers' Strike Tests Sarkozy's Power
    2. 7:23Mandatory Sentencing in the War on Drugs
    3. 43:22Will Blackwater Guards Be Prosecuted for Killing Iraqi Civilians?You’re reading this
    Back to To the Point