CIA Hires Private Security Firm Xe, Formerly Blackwater, In Afghanistan

An industry source tells The Washington Post the contract, worth about $100 million, is for "protective services... guard services, in multiple regions."

Xe, formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide, won the deal over two other security contractors, Triple Canopy and DynCorp International, the source told the newspaper.

News of the contract comes after a federal commission investigating war-zone contractors criticized the State Department this week for granting Xe a $120 million deal to guard U.S. consulates under construction in Afghanistan. The North Carolina-based firm has been under scrutiny since its paramilitary employees, acting as security personnel, were involved in a shooting incident in Iraq that left 17 people dead in 2007.


A Xe spokesman had no comment on the CIA contract.

A U.S. official familiar with the deal told the Post that the company "has undergone some serious changes" since the incident in Iraq.

"They've had to prove to the government that they're a responsible outfit. Having satisfied every legal requirement, they have the right to compete for contracts," the official said. "They have people who do good work, at times in some very dangerous places. Nobody should forget that, either."

CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano told the Post that Xe personnel would not be used only for security and would not be involved in operations.

"We have a very careful process when it comes to procurement, and we take it seriously. We've also made it clear that personnel from Xe do not serve with the CIA in any operational roles," Gimigliano said.