Blackwater planned anti-pirate operation

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The private security firm Blackwater Worldwide was prepared to battle Somali pirates on the high seas, a secret cable sent by a U.S. Embassy in Africa reveals.

The cable, sent to the State Department in February 2009 and among the trove released during the weekend by WikiLeaks, told that Blackwater had turned a research vessel into a pirate-hunting ship and was seeking clients to protect, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Blackwater's chief executive officer planned a promotional trip to Djibouti in March 2009 and the company was hoping the U.S. embassy there would help out.

That prompted U.S. Ambassador James C. Swan to cable Washington for "guidance on the appropriate level of engagement with Blackwater."

The cable said that Blackwater had outfitted its pirate-hunting ship with .50-caliber machine guns and a small, unarmed drone aircraft, the Times reported.

The North Carolina-based firm had already determined its rules of engagement.

"Blackwater does not intend to take any pirates into custody, but will use lethal force against pirates if necessary," the cable said.

In the end, Blackwater Maritime Security Services never attracted any clients for its pirate-hunting business, the newspaper reported.