This is TLR's "Scorecard" on the ongoing saga of the Iraqi Government's attempted ban of Blackwater USA from continuing its unregulated activities in the country.

The latest report is that Blackwater was approved yesterday, by the U.S. Embassy, to resume escorting U.S. officials in Baghdad despite Prime Minister Maliki's insistence that the State Department should sack the company and strip the immunity it was given by U.S. administrator L.Paul Bremer III in 2004.

For those of you unaware of the events to date, a Blackwater security detail is accused of killing 11 Iraqis in Nisoor circle in western Baghdad's Mansour district. A preliminary Iraqi investigation carried out by the interior ministry, found that armed Blackwater guards fired unprovoked on Iraqi civilians. In turn, Blackwater, along with the State Department, claim that the security detail had been hit by bullets.

I stated in my previous post that even though Prime Minister Maliki revoked Blackwater's operating license in Iraq, don't expect them to pack up and go home anytime soon. Remember, Blackwater still has a larger air force and more military vehicles than the Iraqi army and police combined!