The opposition in Pakistan is expressing outrage over revelations that a US citizen held by the authorities in connection with a shooting incident last month is a security contractor for the CIA. Raymond Davis was taken into custody following the shooting deaths Jan. 27 of two Pakistanis in Lahore. Davis claimed he acted in self-defense during an armed robbery attempt. The US government said Davis was an embassy employee, and should be immediately released on the grounds of diplomatic immunity. Now Washington officials have confirmed reports in the New York Times that Davis was part of a CIA operation tracking the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group. He is also said to have worked for security firm Xe/Blackwater.

"Davis deserves no pardon," said Mohammad Waseem, the brother of the deceased Mohammad Faheem. "We knew from day one that he was working for the CIA and Blackwater. People like Davis have a role in terrorist activities in Pakistan. He should be tried and given the death sentence." (DPA, AFP, Feb. 23; NYT, Feb. 22)

Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has issued a report which in turns cites Pakistan's ISI spy agency to the effect that Davis was working with the Task Force 373 hit squad, which is supposedly hunting down and killing Taliban/al-Qaeda operatives. But the Russian report claims that Davis was actually providing al-Qaeda operatives with "nuclear fissile material" and "biological agents," which were "to be used against the United States itself in order to ignite an all-out war in order to re-establish the West's hegemony over a Global economy that is warned is just months away from collapse." (ANI, Feb. 20)

There has been much speculation in Pakistan that Blackwater is behind the relentless terrorist attacks in the country.

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