IMPEACH BUSH

WASHINGTON (AP) — Blackwater USA has ended an inquiry into the private security contractor's performance by withdrawing from an industry group that initiated the review after the company's guards were accused of killing 17 Iraqis in Baghdad last month.

The International Peace Operations Association said in a statement Friday that Blackwater withdrew its membership two days after the group decided to examine whether the contractor's "processes and procedures" complied with the group's code of conduct.

Blackwater joined the association in August 2004 and had been "a member in good standing," according to the statement, which said the group decided Monday to conduct the review.

The Washington-based peace operations association represents security contractors and companies that provide logistics support services.

All member companies are required to follow the group's conduct code, which the group described as a "set of ethical and professional guidelines for companies in the peace and stability operations industry."

J.J. Messner, the association's director of programs and operations, would not cite a specific episode that prompted the group's decision. Messner said Blackwater representatives initially agreed such a review was appropriate. He would not say why the company decided to sever the relationship.

"It would be inappropriate for us to mind read," Messner said.

Blackwater did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Blackwater has a large contract with the State Department to guard U.S. diplomats in Iraq. On Sept. 16, Blackwater guards were involved in a shooting in Baghdad that left 17 Iraqis dead.

While Blackwater said its personnel were under attack from "armed enemies," Iraqi witnesses and the Iraqi government say the shooting was unprovoked.

Families of Iraqis who were killed sued Blackwater on Thursday, saying the firm violated U.S. law and fostered a culture of lawlessness among its employees.

Federal and congressional investigations are under way to determine what happened in Baghdad. The Sept. 16 shootings have also sparked a wider examination of the government's reliance on private security firms in battle zones.

On Friday, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., a Blackwater critic, called on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to cancel the department's contract with Blackwater.

"Blackwater employees have a long history of excessive use of force," wrote Schakowsky. She said the company has been involved 163 "escalation of force" incidents "in which "Blackwater forces fired first."