Private military firm Blackwater violated U.S. arms trafficking regulations when training the Colombian military in 2005, a leaked State Department report shows.
The controversial firm, renamed Xe Services LLC in 2009, was fined $42 million for violating US export and arms traffic laws on 228 occasions, mostly related to military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
One of the violations committed by Blackwater was the unauthorized military training of Colombian soldiers in April and May 2005. According to the report, the unauthorized training of foreign military is a violation of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations that control the export and import of defense-related articles and services.
Blackwater was renamed after receiving fierce criticism for the use of excessive force in Iraq. The company is now for sale.