Former Blackwater Guards Face Murder

Two ex-Blackwater contractors were arrested Thursday on second-degree murder charges for allegedly shooting two Afghans after a traffic accident in Kabul last year. Justin Cannon, 27, and Chris Drotleff, 29, also face attempted murder and weapons charges and are currently being held in custody. According to the indictment, the shooting left two men dead and another person injured. The accused men, who worked for Paravant, a subsidiary of the company that was formerly Blackwater, lost their jobs for failing to comply with the terms of their contract. Because of the investigation of this case and a series of other problems in Iraq, the U.S. government is attempting to increase supervision of contractors in war zones. A federal judge recently dismissed charnges of manslaughter for Blackwater contractors invovled in a 2007 shooting in Baghdad, owing to improper handling by the Justice Department.