Blackwater emerges from the sewer again

Is there anything Erik Prince's mercenaries aren't allowed to equip themselves with in Iraq?

Suddenly, on that May day in 2005, the copter dropped CS gas, a riot-control substance the American military in Iraq can use only under the strictest conditions and with the approval of top military commanders. An armored vehicle on the ground also released the gas, temporarily blinding drivers, passers-by and at least 10 American soldiers operating the checkpoint.

So which outfit did this?

Both the helicopter and the vehicle involved in the incident at the Assassins’ Gate checkpoint were not from the United States military, but were part of a convoy operated by Blackwater Worldwide, the private security contractor that is under scrutiny for its role in a series of violent episodes in Iraq, including a September shooting in downtown Baghdad that left 17 Iraqis dead.

How is it that Blackwater is even allowed to be in possession of CS gas?

Of course, this whole thing has been written off by Blackwater as a mistake. It was supposed to be a "smoke" canister; not tear gas.

Anne Tyrrell, a spokeswoman for Blackwater, said the CS gas had been released by mistake.

“Blackwater teams in the air and on the ground were preparing a secure route near a checkpoint to provide passage for a motorcade,” Ms. Tyrrell said in an e-mail message. “It seems a CS gas canister was mistaken for a smoke canister and released near an intersection and checkpoint.”

Well, there, Anne, it seems witness tell something of a different story. They claim that the CS gas canisters came from the air and the armoured vehicle on the ground. That would make it a coordinated mistake.

We can take that a little further in two directions.

First, if the mercenaries employed by Blackwater are so incompetent that they can't distinguish the difference between a CS gas canister and a smoke canister, it would suggest that "world class training" Blackwater spouts on about isn't worth the paint on the sign.

Secondly, the release of smoke in a convoy stuck in a traffic jam is not a tactic anyone familiar with personal protection would employ. It obscures the sight lines and arcs of those tasked with providing protection. It would make the task more difficult; not easier.

Officers and noncommissioned officers from the Third Infantry Division who were involved in the episode said there were no signs of violence at the checkpoint. Instead, they said, the Blackwater convoy appeared to be stuck in traffic and may have been trying to use the riot-control agent as a way to clear a path.

Which would be better than simply opening fire to clear a path. The truth is, if any military unit, a real military unit used CS gas for that purpose, the courts-martial would be coming hot and heavy.

Jill has pulled up some information on CS gas. It is nowhere near as harmless as some people would suggest.

Now the question. What else does Blackwater have in their bag of weapons?