Iraq to Blackwater: You Don’t Have to Go Home But You Can’t Stay Here

The Iraqi government shows signs of increasing impatience with Blackwater guards getting hired by other private security firms:

A top Iraqi official said Wednesday that guards formerly employed by the private security firm Blackwater Worldwide must leave the country within days.

The statement by Interior Minister Jawad Bolani — made in an interview with the Associated Press — could lead to the expulsion of as many as 250 guards who once worked for Blackwater and who now work for other security firms in Iraq. The Interior Ministry controls the country’s police forces and licenses private security companies.

Yeah, this is right before the March 7 Iraqi national election, though, so who knows if Bolani is for real here. Many an Iraqi demand about Blackwater has fallen by the wayside.

Meanwhile, in other Blackwater/Iraq news…