[on NPR]Interviews With Witnesses of Blackwater Incident

This am, on Morning Edition, NPR teased a longer story to run this afternoon (on All Things Considered) featuring interviews with several Iraqis who were wounded and/or witnessed the infamous Blackwater incident in Baghdad in September.

Actually, much longer than a tease, it ran nearly 4 minutes, and featured some of the account of one of the wounded.  You can listen to it here.

One point that they didn't play up but I thought was significant is that the witnesses accounts do seem to match up with what military investigators are finding - seeming to indicate that they have been able to speak with some off the record.  (They could have made that more clear, I think.)

Needless to say, the Iraqi witnesses do not bolster Blackwater's claimed defense that they had been fired upon first.  To date, apparently no investigators have been able to find support for Blackwater's claim.

Another point that the report makes is that the Iraqis make little or no distinction between US Military and private contractors like Blackwater.  As Gen. Petraeus has said in the past, the Iraqis' perception of the US military IS important in counter-insurgency situations (and the multi-faceted situation we are still in).

It sounds like it will be a worthwhile report, and if you can't listen to it on the radio, go to the link after 7pm ET to stream it.