Two top CIA men resign

The head of the Central Intelligence Agency's clandestine service and his deputy both resigned their posts Monday, becoming the most significant casualties of an effort by Porter J. Goss to overhaul the agency's spying operations, says The New York Times.

Stephen R. Kappes, the deputy director for operations, and Michael Sulick, the associate deputy director, announced their resignation at a morning staff meeting after days of clashes with advisers to Mr. Goss, the new director of the agency, the Times quoted intelligence officials as saying.

Goss said in a written statement

that the two men had "formally advised that they are stepping down.''

Kappes and Sulick are highly regarded within the CIA, and their departures, which prompted loud protests from former intelligence officials, suggest that Goss is confident of having a mandate from the White House to make sweeping changes, said the Times.

The resignations of other senior officials within the operations directorate may follow, the former officials said.

In his statement,  Goss promised that "there will no gap in our operations fighting the global war on terror, nor in any of our other vital activities.''