Posted by
Defend America on Monday, July 13, 2009 5:34:17 AM
CIA Had Secret Al Qaeda Plan
Initiative at Heart of Spat With Congress Examined Ways to Seize, Kill Terror Chiefs
WASHINGTON
-- A secret Central Intelligence Agency initiative terminated by
Director Leon Panetta was an attempt to carry out a 2001 presidential
authorization to capture or kill al Qaeda operatives, according to
former intelligence officials familiar with the matter.
The precise nature of the highly classified effort isn't clear, and the CIA won't comment on its substance.
According to current and former government officials, the agency
spent money on planning and possibly some training. It was acting on a
2001 presidential legal pronouncement, known as a finding, which
authorized the CIA to pursue such efforts. The initiative hadn't become
fully operational at the time Mr. Panetta ended it.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124736381913627661.html