[F]or Iraqis, January 1 was marked by bitter recriminations over a US judge's decision to dismiss charges against five Blackwater security guards who had been accused of killing civilians in 2007…The shootings…became to many Iraqis a symbol of US disregard for their lives…Family members of the dead and survivors said Thursday's decision added a painful epilogue to the incident, making a mockery of the justice that the US was supposed to bring to their country…An attorney for the guards has said they fired in self-defence. Iraqis described the decision as unfathomable…The Iraqi Government also protested, and said it would pursue its own case against Blackwater in an Iraqi court.