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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Associated Press has learned that a State Department advisory panel is recommending that Blackwater Worldwide be dropped as a private security contractor for American diplomats in Iraq.
An official familiar with a report commissioned by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday the panel has called for Blackwater's contract not to be renewed when it expires next year. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the report has not yet been made public.
Rice ordered the review last September after an incident in which Blackwater guards killed 17 Iraqis in Baghdad. Five Blackwater guards have been indicted on manslaughter and other charges stemming from that incident. The company was not implicated.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
