CIA Director Panetta Contracts Blackwater Security Firm

Jim Kouri

7/18/2010

During an interview on ABC television’s Sunday news show “This Week,” Director of Central Intelligence Leon Panetta explained a $100-million contract with the controversial firm formerly named Blackwater Worldwide to provide security services in Afghanistan.

When the contract was first announced, several lawmakers voiced outrage by the Obama government’s dealings with Xe Services, the new corporate name for Blackwater. Opponents of the deal claim the “recycled special operations company is the same as when its security personnel allegedly killed unarmed Iraqis.”

Five of its security officers allegedly killed 17 unarmed Iraqis and wounded about 20 other civilians during a September 2007 incident in Baghdad.

And now… the rest of the story. …..