Five guards from US private security firm Blackwater have
entered not guilty pleas to manslaughter charges relating to the shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007.
The guards, who appeared in a Washington DC court on Tuesday, include three former US marines and two US army veterans.
Earlier this month, federal prosecutors in Washington announced manslaughter and other charges against the five guards.
Prosecutors allege the men opened fire without provocation, however the guards say they fired when the US state department convoy they were guarding came under fire in Baghdad's Nisoor Square.
A sixth Blackwater guard has brokered a deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty to killing one Iraqi and wounding another, and is to testify against his former colleagues.
Uncertain status
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Blackwater is the largest of several private security contractors operating in Iraq [AFP]
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The presence of private security firms such as Blackwater in Iraq has proved highly controversial, with the Iraqi government saying the firms act with impunity and that their legal status is unclear.
Blackwater, based in the state of North Carolina, is the largest contractor providing security in Iraq.
Much of its work for the US state department is in protecting US diplomats in the country.
The company has not been charged in connection with the shooting.
Critics say a new US-Iraqi security agreement which went into effect on January 1, replacing a United Nations mandate, still does not clarify the rules under which security firms in Iraq operate.