Officials: Blackwater Participated in CIA ‘Snatch and Grab’ Operations

Line Between Military, CIA, and Blackwater 'Blurred'

Intelligence officials and former Blackwater employees are confirming that the shadowy military contractor participated in “almost nightly” kidnapping raids in Iraq and Afghanistan, called “snatch and grab” operations by company insiders on behalf of the CIA.

The relationship was so closed that officials say the line between military operations, those by the CIA, and those by the private security forces became completely blurred.

The latest report comes just a week after Blackwater owner Erik Prince confirmed that his company permformed “very risky missions” for the CIA, giving the agency “unattributable capability.” Prince did not, however, confirm any specific operations.

Besides operating a company making billions of dollars contracting for the US military, the State Department, and the CIA, Prince was himself a CIA operative who reportedly helped train CIA assassination teams.

The CIA was involved in a massive kidnapping program across the world for several years, a fact which became even more apparent last month with 23 CIA officers were convicted on kidnapping charges in Italy.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.