The U.S. District Court in Washington recently dismissed charges against Blackwater guards for a 2007 shooting incident.  The Blackwater guards allegedly opened fire on the streets of Baghdad killing 17 and wounding dozens more, including women and children.  The guards admitted evidence that shows wrongdoing in interviews given immediately after the incident.  The case was dismissed because the judge ruled the interviews were not admissible, even though they were routine interviews given to the State Department for this type of incident.

The Justice Department has filed an appeal to the court’s decision, but has not yet explained their reason for the appeal.  The Iraqi government has pressured the U.S. Government to seek the appeal because of the outrage expressed by the Iraqi people over the dismissal.  The dismissal enforced the view that the U.S. was not taking responsibility for its actions of misconduct during war.  Many in the State Department have expressed concern that the dismissal of the case could lead to increased instability in Iraq and roll back U.S. accomplishments in the country.