Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Raymond Davis said to be CIA operative
From The Hindu
Reports have revealed that Raymond Davis, the employee of the United States Pakistan embassy who was jailed for killing two Pakistani citizens, worked for the Central Intelligence Agency.
On Tuesday foreign media, as well as U.S. media that had earlier been requested by the Obama administration not to reveal any details of the case, said that Mr. Davis was involved in covert CIA operations aimed at intelligence-gathering and surveillance on “militant groups deep inside the country.”
Quoting American government officials the New York Times said that Mr. Davis was a retired Special Forces soldier who had formerly served as a CIA contractor, including time at Blackwater Worldwide, the private security firm that is now called Xe Services.
According to sources, Mr. Davis’ visa described his job as a “regional affairs officer,” said to be a frequently used job description for CIA-related officials. As per his visa application Mr. Davis was reported to have held a U.S. diplomatic passport and was classified as “administrative and technical staff,” a category that is said to “typically [grant] diplomatic immunity to its holder.”
Mr. Davis was arrested on January 27 after he fatally shot two men on a motorcycle in a bustling Lahore neighbourhood. According to the account of the incident put out by U.S. officials Mr. Davis was driving alone an isolated area and pulled over at a busy traffic intersection.
At that point two Pakistani men with weapons allegedly got off from their motorcycles and approached Mr. Davis, who killed them with his Glock pistol in what was described as “an act of self-defence against armed robbers,” the New York Times reported.
However the Pakistan’s The Daily Times published a different account of events based on the Lahore Police Department’s crime report, in which it said that Mr. Davis admitted to the police that he shot the two men, stepped out of the car to take photographs of them, and then called the U.S. consulate in Lahore for assistance.
Further the Daily Times story suggested that the victims had been “shot several times in the back, a detail that some Pakistani officials say proves the killings were murder.” The report also suggested that after the shooting Mr. Davis climbed back in his car and sought to escape but was “overpowered” at a traffic junction nearby.
The incident has since sparked a diplomatic crisis, with CIA Director Leon Panetta, Chief of Army Staff Mike Mullen and even U.S. President Barack Obama making pleas for Mr. Davis’ release.
Yet public opinion in Pakistan has primarily comprised anger against the U.S. so-called “secret war” in the country, including the highly unpopular drone strikes in the border area near Afghanistan. Recent days have witnessed “hundreds of Pakistanis” participating in street protests and calling for Mr. Davis to face trial, reports said.
Reports have revealed that Raymond Davis, the employee of the United States Pakistan embassy who was jailed for killing two Pakistani citizens, worked for the Central Intelligence Agency.
On Tuesday foreign media, as well as U.S. media that had earlier been requested by the Obama administration not to reveal any details of the case, said that Mr. Davis was involved in covert CIA operations aimed at intelligence-gathering and surveillance on “militant groups deep inside the country.”
Quoting American government officials the New York Times said that Mr. Davis was a retired Special Forces soldier who had formerly served as a CIA contractor, including time at Blackwater Worldwide, the private security firm that is now called Xe Services.
According to sources, Mr. Davis’ visa described his job as a “regional affairs officer,” said to be a frequently used job description for CIA-related officials. As per his visa application Mr. Davis was reported to have held a U.S. diplomatic passport and was classified as “administrative and technical staff,” a category that is said to “typically [grant] diplomatic immunity to its holder.”
Mr. Davis was arrested on January 27 after he fatally shot two men on a motorcycle in a bustling Lahore neighbourhood. According to the account of the incident put out by U.S. officials Mr. Davis was driving alone an isolated area and pulled over at a busy traffic intersection.
At that point two Pakistani men with weapons allegedly got off from their motorcycles and approached Mr. Davis, who killed them with his Glock pistol in what was described as “an act of self-defence against armed robbers,” the New York Times reported.
However the Pakistan’s The Daily Times published a different account of events based on the Lahore Police Department’s crime report, in which it said that Mr. Davis admitted to the police that he shot the two men, stepped out of the car to take photographs of them, and then called the U.S. consulate in Lahore for assistance.
Further the Daily Times story suggested that the victims had been “shot several times in the back, a detail that some Pakistani officials say proves the killings were murder.” The report also suggested that after the shooting Mr. Davis climbed back in his car and sought to escape but was “overpowered” at a traffic junction nearby.
The incident has since sparked a diplomatic crisis, with CIA Director Leon Panetta, Chief of Army Staff Mike Mullen and even U.S. President Barack Obama making pleas for Mr. Davis’ release.
Yet public opinion in Pakistan has primarily comprised anger against the U.S. so-called “secret war” in the country, including the highly unpopular drone strikes in the border area near Afghanistan. Recent days have witnessed “hundreds of Pakistanis” participating in street protests and calling for Mr. Davis to face trial, reports said.
Labels: CIA operative, Raymond Davis, U.S.-Pakistan standoff
# posted by Narayan Lakshman @ 8:29 AM 
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