Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denies claims the U.S. paid over $2 million in "blood money" to free a CIA contractor who shot and killed two Pakistani men.
| No, no, perish the thought! |
"The United States did not pay any compensation," Clinton told reporters in Cairo, according to Reuters.
| "The money must've fallen out of my pocket and landed on the dresser. Really!" |
In what appeared to be carefully choreographed end to the diplomatic crisis, the U.S. Embassy said the Justice Department had opened an investigation into the killings on Jan. 27 by Raymond Allen Davis. It thanked the families for "their generosity" in pardoning Davis, but did not mention any money changing hands.
The killings and detention of Davis triggered a fresh wave of anti-American sentiment in Pakistan and were testing an alliance seen as key to defeating al-Qaida and ending the war in Afghanistan.
The tensions were especially sharp between the CIA and Pakistan's powerful Inter Services Intelligence Agency, which says it did not know Davis was operating in the country.
| Huh? The embassy submitted his name and paperwork when he arrived in the country. |
One ISI official said it had backed the "blood money" deal. There appeared to be little public backlash as night fell in Pakistan. |