Report: CIA hired others to try to hit al-Qaeda

The CIA hired private contractors at Blackwater USA in 2004 as part of a secret program to kill top-level members of al-Qaeda, a person familiar with the program said Wednesday. The contracts, which were unsuccessful, were canceled several years ago, the person told the Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the program remains classified. The New York Times, first reported the program late Wednesday on its Web site. The Times, citing unidentified current and former government officials, said Blackwater executives helped with planning, training and surveillance for the program. The program never resulted in the capture or killing of any terrorists suspects, according to current and former US intelligence officials. It was never fully operational, and has been canceled twice: Once by then-CIA Director George Tenet, restarted by Porter Goss, and finally by CIA Director Leon Panetta in June. Panetta then informed the congressional intelligence committees about the program for the first time the next day. The officials told the Times that the CIA's use of an outside company for a potentially lethal program was a major reason Panetta called the emergency congressional briefing. The House Intelligence Committee last month launched an investigation to determine whether the CIA broke the law by not informing Congress about the secret program as soon as it was begun. Blackwater, a North Carolina company now known as Xe Services, has come under heavy criticism for its alleged role in a September 2007 shooting in Baghdad's Nisoor Square that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead. It was unclear whether the CIA had planned to use the contractors to capture or kill al-Qaeda operatives or just to help with training and surveillance. (13,00)