U.S. Consular Worker May Be Charged for Killing Pakistani Assailants

[Peregrino]

Time to look at the other side of this episode. I sincerely hope somebody is collecting the lessons learned from this debacle. Starting with every step Davis took that led up to the incident and every SOP/RSO brief he ignored/violated before and after. I strongly suspect the resulting picture will not be flattering to Mr. Davis. SERE schools always need fresh object lessons, hopefully somebody will take them to heart and avoid something similar in the future. His actions have cost the US more than will ever see the light of day, especially given the delicate nature of our relationship with Pakistan.

[bost1751]

It seems an awful lot of judgement is being passed on Davis when the only information known is what the media has put out. It seems he was about to be shot and took measures to prevent it. That may be the SOP his employer has in place.

[Dusty]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110217/...ained_american

[Richard]

Paki's Obviously Adore John F. Kerry and Obama

And the target audience? The language used on the yellow and pinkish colored signs is telling.

Richard

[Blue]

Originally Posted by bost1751

It seems an awful lot of judgement is being passed on Davis when the only information known is what the media has put out. It seems he was about to be shot and took measures to prevent it. That may be the SOP his employer has in place.

The information known by some here is not only what the media has put out.

Amen, Peregrino, amen.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by Richard

And the target audience? The language used on the yellow and pinkish colored signs is telling.

Richard

Obviously meant for the Senate.

[lindy]

Originally Posted by bost1751

It seems an awful lot of judgement is being passed on Davis when the only information known is what the media has put out. It seems he was about to be shot and took measures to prevent it. That may be the SOP his employer has in place.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Dusty

Obviously meant for the Senate.

Which side of the aisle?

Richard

[lindy]

Here's an interesting article in the Wash Post that details issues related to the Vienna Conventions as well as some encounters with foreign dips in the US.

President Obama, however, may have pushed the envelope when he referred to Davis as "our diplomat." Davis may have had diplomatic cover, but not many diplomats carry a Glock pistol -- and then use it with lethal results. The circumstances of his employment -- and the incident in Lahore -- remain too murky to make a definitive judgment on the president's statement at this point.

[crazyitalian]

Well the Pakistani Intelligence community appears to be trying to further inflame the situation:

http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/p...s-gunman-cia-0

A Pakistani intelligence official said Monday that an American in custody for killing two men was an undercover CIA contractor, in remarks likely to inflame a crisis with the United States.

Washington insists that Raymond Davis, who says he acted in self-defence, is a member of its Islamabad embassy's "administrative and technical staff" who has diplomatic immunity and should be released immediately.

But the unpopular government in Pakistan is under huge pressure from the political opposition not to cave in to US demands, with analysts even warning that the case could bring down the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

"It is beyond any shadow of a doubt that he was working for CIA," an official from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"He's on contract. He's not a regular CIA guy, but he's working for CIA. That's confirmed," the Pakistani official said.

Pakistan's powerful intelligence services and military have been angered by accusations that they support Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked networks fighting US troops in Afghanistan, and need to do more to eliminate Islamist militants.

Few in Pakistan believe Davis, who reportedly worked for a security contractor and had a background in US Special Forces, is a regular diplomat.

Police told AFP they recovered a Glock pistol, four loaded magazines, a GPS navigation system and a small telescope from his car, after the shooting on a busy street in the eastern city of Lahore on January 27.

A third Pakistani was struck down and killed by a US diplomatic vehicle that came to Davis's assistance. US officials denied Pakistan access to the vehicle and the occupants are widely believed to have left the country.

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by crazyitalian

Well the Pakistani Intelligence community appears to be trying to further inflame the situation:

http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/p...s-gunman-cia-0

Everyone is "Special Forces"

[kollkash]

Some more allegations breaking today by the ever-perceptive and responsible media. [read: sarcasm] I won't comment on the sources and contents merely because it perpetuates the unfortunate theme of the media doing WHATEVER it takes to gain viewers--placing lives at risk! It continues to amaze me that editors believe simply because another news source "breaks the story," it gives every other media outlet free-reign to follow suit. To me, that's like assuming murder is OK because others have done it.

Bottom line, I suspect that most of us here, let alone the media, know what actually occurred on the streets of Pakistan that day. I can only wish him some luck while he navigates this muck, which appears to get thicker by the day.

[silentreader]

Well, I will post a link, even though I think it's unfortunate that this is public. The NYtimes has a pretty thorough article- covers both sides, makes no claims of what actually happened, but does "confirm" Mr. Davis' affiliation with both the CIA and Army Special Forces.

Key quotes (though the rest of the article is worth reading too):

The New York Times had agreed to temporarily withhold information about Mr. Davis’s ties to the agency at the request of the Obama administration, which argued that disclosure of his specific job would put his life at risk. Several foreign news organizations have disclosed some aspects of Mr. Davis’s work with the C.I.A.. On Monday, American officials lifted their request to withhold publication, though George Little, a C.I.A. spokesman, declined any further comment

I think nobody believed he was affiliated with the State Department from the get go.

Even before his arrest, Mr. Davis’s C.I.A. affiliation was known to Pakistani authorities, who keep close tabs on the movements of Americans. His visa, presented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in late 2009, describes his job as a “regional affairs officer,” a common job description for officials working with the agency.

This is also not surprising. Unfortunately, it also meant there was almost 0 chance of his CIA affiliation remaining secret.

Mr. Davis served in the infantry in Europe — including a short tour as a peacekeeper in Macedonia — before joining the Third Special Forces Group in 1998, where he remained until he left the Army in 2003. The Army Special Forces —known as the Green Berets — are an elite group trained in foreign languages and cultures and weapons.

I hope this turns out well for Davis, but things are certainly looking worse.

[Pete]

I wonder who "outed" him as a CIA agent?

Seems the last time this happened the MSM went onto a nut roll trying to find out who did it.

[silentreader]

Originally Posted by Pete

I wonder who "outed" him as a CIA agent?

Seems the last time this happened the MSM went onto a nut roll trying to find out who did it.

My money would be on the Pakistanis, at least in terms of who did it first.