CIA hired Blackwater for al-Qaida assassination programme, sources say

guardian.co.uk, Thursday 20 August 2009 19.18 BST

The CIA enlisted the notorious security firm Blackwater in a secret programme to hunt and kill al-Qaida leaders, US intelligence sources confirmed today. Blackwater staff, many of whom are former US special forces and CIA members, were recruited in 2004 as part of the programme, estimated to have costs millions of dollars.

However, the New York Times, which broke the story, said it was unclear whether Blackwater had been engaged to carry out assassinations or simply to help with intelligence-gathering, planning and training.

No raid to capture or kill al-Qaida leaders was ever carried out and the programme was closed down this year. But the employment of Blackwater raised new questions about the legality of the CIA's behaviour during the Bush administration and about the agency's widespread use of outside contractors. There is also a question about whether the programme was deliberately kept hidden from Congress.

The CIA today refused to discuss the involvement of Blackwater, but did not deny it either. George Little, a CIA spokesman, acknowledged that there had been a counter-terrorism effort and it amounted to "more than a PowerPoint presentation".

General Michael Hayden, the director of the CIA from 2006 to this year, today defended the use of outside contractors, saying the agency used "whoever was best suited for the job". Speaking at a press conference in Washington, he denied that contractors had been used so the CIA could avoid blame. "We do not go outside the agency in order to deflect responsibility," he said. "Period."

Without going into the specifics of Blackwater's involvement, Hayden played down the significance of the programme, saying that if he had regarded it as important, he would have briefed Congress. He insisted he had never been asked by the former vice-president, Dick Cheney, to withhold information from Congress.

Hayden was adamant that the CIA did not carry out assassinations but, when asked if killing al-Qaida leaders amounted to assassination, he said: "No. That is killing in self-defence."

The CIA has been banned from carrying out assassinations since 1976, after congressional hearings into targeted killings in Vietnam and Latin America, including 26 attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro.

Tim Shorrock, author of Spies For Hire: The Secret World Of Intelligence Outsourcing, expressed concern that private contractors could have been used by the CIA as a way to evade responsibility. "There is no accountability for contractors. We have seen it time and again with Blackwater," he said.

He added that Congress had been trying for years to get the CIA to release the names of the private contractors it uses. His estimate is that the CIA outsources 70% of its work. The agency claims that more than 90% of its core activities is carried out by permanent staff, with contractors being engaged mainly in support and logistical work.

Blackwater, which first started working for the CIA in various roles a few days after the September 11 attacks, was banned from Iraq after a 2007 massacre of civilians involving its staff. It has since changed its name to Xe Services.

The company could not be contacted today for comment.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Richardson: N. Korea now feels it's 'owed' talks

Richardson: N. Korea now feels it's 'owed' talks: "North Korea believes it's owed bilateral talks with the United States after the communist government released two detained American journalists this month. 'They feel ... that by giving us the two American journalists, that they've made an important gesture,' New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson told CNN. 'And now they're saying the ball's in our court.'

"

(Via CNN.com.)

VIDEO: STOVL F-35 Air-Refueling

VIDEO: STOVL F-35 Air-Refueling: "

For more information on the test, see Graham's post from Friday, Plugged In: STOVL F-35 Air-Refuels.

 

 

Credit: Lockheed Martin

"

(Via Ares.)

RFID Aboard USAF Aircraft

RFID Aboard USAF Aircraft: "Savi Technology radio frequency identification tag approved aboard U.S. Air Force aircraft that transport Department of Defense supplies."

(Via AviationWeek.com MRO Channel.)

Ransom demand received for missing Russian cargo ship

CNN: A ransom has been demanded for a missing Russian cargo ship which vanished two weeks ago after being involved in a suspected hijacking off the coast of Sweden last month, Finnish police told CNN Saturday.

The last known contact with the Arctic Sea was July 31. Mystery surrounds its movements and the fate of its crew.

Authorities said the ransom demand might be from a second group of hijackers who targeted the ship after it was first allegedly hijacked for 12 hours off the coast of Sweden.

"There has been a demand for ransom and the subject is the shipping company, Solchart Management," Jan Olof Nyholm with the Finnish police told CNN.

An international criminal investigation is under way into the alleged hijacking of the vessel, the Arctic Sea. The last known communication with the vessel was July 31.

The probe, involving Interpol, is being handled by Swedish, Maltese and Finnish authorities in cooperation with authorities from another 20 countries, the Malta Maritime Authority said in a statement Saturday.

Finnish police would not say how much ransom had been demanded, or what else they know about the vessel.

"At this point I can't comment on whether we know the whereabouts of the ship. Our top priority is the threat to life and health, so I can't release any more details," Nyholm said. "The investigation has more details, but I can't say any more."

The Arctic Sea, which sails under a Maltese flag, was carrying a 6,500-ton cargo of timber from Finland to Algeria when it reported trouble on July 24.

Its 15-member crew told authorities that eight to 12 people armed with guns and pistols boarded the vessel about 3 a.m. that day, masked and wearing uniforms with the word "police" written on them, the Malta Maritime Authority said.

"During (the attackers') stay onboard, the members of the crew were allegedly assaulted, tied, gagged, and blindfolded and some of them were seriously injured," the maritime authority said in a written statement.

"All crew members were 'hard' questioned for a considerable amount of time. The questioning was related to drug trafficking. Later all crew members were released from their bindings but were locked within cabins until the alleged police rummaged the vessel thoroughly."

The attackers left after 12 hours on the same black rubber boat on which they had arrived, which bore the word "police," the maritime authority said.

The vessel's radar and satellite systems were off-line for two hours during the reported hijacking, during which it was witnessed performing "extreme maneuvers," said Maria Lonegard, a spokeswoman for the Swedish police.

The Finnish shipping company in charge of the ship reported the case to the Finnish police, who referred it to the Swedish police, the Maltese Maritime Authority said. In the meantime, the ship sailed through the English Channel.

Three days later, on July 31, Swedish police reached the ship by phone and spoke with someone they believed to be the captain, Lonegard said.

The crew provided photos of their injuries and written statements about the alleged hijacking, Swedish police said.

Despite that evidence, however, authorities have been unable to confirm the alleged hijacking. Swedish police say they have spoken to a number of witnesses who saw the ship making strange movements, but no one saw the black rubber boat approaching or leaving the Arctic Sea.

The ship has not been heard from since July 31. It did not arrive in North Africa as scheduled August 4.

Authorities have had no explanation for the ship's disappearance until Saturday, when Swedish police said they believe the Arctic Sea has been hijacked a second time. Track reports of the ship's journey »

"It appears that we are now dealing with two separate incidents -- the alleged hijacking off the Swedish coast and now the alleged hijacking with a demand for ransom," Lonegard told CNN on Saturday.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE