Private security firms in Iraq that act outside the law will be dealt with firmly, officials said today.
A woman was seriously injured in a shooting in central Baghdad yesterday in what was the latest in a string of incidents that have prompted the Iraqi government to propose a change to the laws under which foreign security contractors operate.
"We demand that all security companies obey the law and orders released by the Iraqi government, otherwise the security forces will be obliged to deal firmly with these companies," a Baghdad security spokesman said.
A September shooting involving private US firm Blackwater in which 17 Iraqis were killed prompted the government to approve a draft law to end a 2004 decree by former US administrators that gave security contractors immunity from prosecution.
That draft law must still be passed by parliament.