In this January 28, 2011 file photo, security officials escort Raymond Davis, a US consulate employee, center, to a local court in Lahore. — Photo by AP

KARACHI: US national Raymond Davis was assigned to protect a CIA team tracking militants in Pakistan, British newspaper The Guardian said in its report.

On January 27, Davis was familiarising himself with a “sensitive area” of Lahore.

The report quoted US officials as confirming that CIA agent Raymond Davis had worked for the private security contractor Xe, formerly known as Blackwater. The officials also disclosed that Davis had been providing security for a CIA team tracking militants.

Davis was attached to the CIA’s Global Response Staff, whose duties include protecting case officers when they meet with sources, the report said. On the day he shot two Pakistanis in Lahore, he was familiarising himself with a “sensitive area” of the city.

Moreover, The New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press and other media outlets reported for the first time that Davis was a CIA employee, the report said.

The US media outlets said they had been aware of Davis’ status but kept it under wraps at the request of US government officials who said they feared for his safety if involvement with the CIA was to come out.

US officials further claimed that Davis was at risk in the Lahore prison.