Blackwater guards faced chaos during the shootout that left at least 10 Iraqis dead earlier this month in Baghdad, a report published Friday in the Washington Post said.

The Post obtained a copy of a preliminary two-page report by the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security, which describes the incident based only on the security guards statements.

Three teams of Blackwater guards were escorting a American diplomat to a compound outside the Green Zone in Baghdad when a car bomb went off in near the convoy.

Immediately after the blast two teams returned with the official to the heavily-fortified, but a third group of security personnel was caught in an ambush with alleged militants, some of them being reportedly dressed as Iraqi policemen.

That was the point when mayhem broke loose and an intense fire exchange began. One of the guards reportedly shouted “stop shooting,” while another one pointed his gun at a colleague after he continued to fire.

However, the Iraqi government criticized the incident and said the guards killed innocent civilians. Blackwater’s licence was suspended after the shootout and an inquiry was launched, authorities vowing to get to the bottom of what is said to be another incident in a long series involving Blackwater personnel.

“They started shooting randomly from four positions in the square, killing 11 civilians and injuring 12 others,” Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said in the aftermath of the deadly shooting.

According to a report appeared in The New York Times Thursday, the private security company has been involved in numerous shootings while guarding US diplomats in Iraq.

The New York Times quoted government officials and other persons familiar with the State Department reports as saying Blackwater personnel have an itchy trigger finger and resorted to gunfire in numerous situations.

The State Department registers every incident during which security guards open fire while protecting diplomats, but the reports aren’t made public.

The North Carolina-based firm and other similar companies provide security for US diplomats, politicians and Iraqi companies, but the security guards have been criticized in numerous rows for acting rashly in limit situations.

Most of the employees are former US military special operations soldiers, trained to secure convoys and handle small rapid fire situations, but critics said Blackwater employees take violent actions to protect the people or assets they are paid to guard.