Iraq War: US security guards killed my son

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 March 2023

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

It has been 20 years since the start of the Iraq War. On 16 September 2007, private security guards employed by the American firm Blackwater opened fire on civilians in Baghdad's Nisour Square. Seventeen Iraqis were killed, and another 20 injured. The Blackwater guards, who were escorting a convoy from the American embassy, claimed that they had come under attack from insurgents, but eye-witnesses and Iraqi officials quickly dismissed that version of events. Mohammed Kinani's nine year old son, Ali, was one of the victims. In this programme, first broadcast in 2020, Mohammed shares his story with Mike Lanchin. (Photo: An Iraqi looks at a burnt car on the site where Blackwater guards opened fire on civilians in Baghdad. Credit: Ali Yussef/AFP via Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, Namulanta combo here and I'm excited to tell you that my award-winning podcast Dear
0:06.6	Daughter is back for his second season and it's available now.
0:11.5	Find out more at the end of this podcast.
0:14.1	Hello, thanks for listening to this episode of The Witness History Podcast from the BBC
0:23.9	World Service with me, Matt Pintas.
0:27.0	I'm bringing you a series of programs to mark the 20th anniversary of the beginning of
0:31.5	the Iraq War.
0:32.9	On September the 16th, 2007, 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians were killed in Baghdad by American
0:40.8	security guards employed by the private security company Blackwater.
0:45.8	The shooting led to a surge in anger against the ongoing American occupation.
0:50.4	Among the dead was a 9-year-old boy called Ali Khanani.
0:54.4	In this program, first broadcast in 2020, Mike Lanchin speaks to Ali's father, Muhammad.
1:04.7	Tell me a little bit about Ali, what would he like?
1:08.1	My son, Ali, like every kid, like a 9-year-old, but he has something special.
1:15.1	I don't know.
1:16.1	He's very close to me.
1:17.6	Like when he wants something from his brother's, okay, I'm going to work till my father.
1:23.4	Like he has power, like he has green light from me to do whatever he wants.
1:27.7	Which often happens with the youngest?
1:29.5	Yeah, yeah, you're right.
1:34.2	He's with God.
1:35.2	He's with God.
	...

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