WASHINGTON, Nov 26: US President George W. Bush has ordered the CIA to get more spies on the ground to step up the war on terror - while resignations of key staff have increased a sense of turmoil at the world's biggest intelligence agency.

The president last week gave Central Intelligence Agency director Porter Goss 90 days to draw up a timetable and budget to increase by 50 per cent the number of spies on the ground, and take on extra analysts and language specialists.

Mr Bush, according to his memorandum made public this week, also wants to double the number of agents in the research and development department tracking weapons of mass destruction.

The extra staff are one part of the recommendations made by the official investigation into the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. The CIA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were criticized for their slow reaction to signs of an Al Qaeda attack before the hijackers struck on September 11 - as well as the information on weapons of mass destruction used to justify the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. No such weapons have ever been found in that country.

The commission called for widespread reforms. It said the CIA strayed from its central mission of recruiting spies and infiltrating groups such as Al Qaeda. The commission report said the intelligence agency relied too much on information from other governments.

When the Al Qaeda members attacked in New York and Washington, there was no CIA agent in Afghanistan even though Osama was known to be in the country. -AFP