Seven US 'CIA agents' killed in Afghanistan bomb attack

[illuminatus]

Eight Americans reportedly working for the CIA have died in a bomb attack in Afghanistan, the worst against US intelligence officials since 2001.

A bomber wearing an explosive vest entered Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost Province, near Pakistan.

A Taliban spokesman has said one of its members carried out the attack.

In a separate incident, four Canadian soldiers and a journalist died when their vehicle was blown up in the south-eastern province of Kandahar.

It is the worst fatal incident affecting Canadians in Afghanistan for more than two years.

'Award-winning reporter'

The journalist has been identified as Michelle Lang, 34, from the Calgary Herald, who had just arrived on her first assignment in the country.

The armoured vehicle the group were travelling in was touring local reconstruction projects.

An award-winning health reporter, her colleagues at the newspaper were said to have been devastated by the news of the death of Ms Lang, who was recently engaged to be married and described as bright, quick-witted and kind.

"We are all very saddened to hear this tragic news," Alberta Health Minister Ron Liepert said in a statement. "Michelle covered health issues with professionalism, accuracy and thoroughness."

The BBC's Lee Carter, in Toronto, says the deaths will add to the conviction felt by many Canadians that the country has carried a disproportionate number of casualties - the total has now reached 138 - especially in comparison to some European Nato allies.

Remote areas

A Taliban spokesman has said the group was responsible for the suicide bomb attack at Chapman Base.

Speaking to the BBC, Zabiullah Mujahid claimed that the bomber was also an Afghan soldier and was wearing uniform when he managed to breach security at the base.

Initially, the dead Americans in Khost were described simply as civilians, but they were later reported to be affiliated to the CIA.

The BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says the exact nature of their role is not year clear but some of those killed may have been contractors to the agency.

Reports suggested the attacker struck inside the gym at the base. It is not clear how many people were injured.

"We mourn the loss of life in this attack, and are withholding further details pending notification of next of kin," US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said.

A spokesman for Isaf, the international Nato force in Afghanistan, said that "no US and no Isaf military personnel were killed or injured" in the incident.

Khost province - which is one of the Taliban's strongholds - has been targeted by militants over the past year.

The number of foreign civilians deployed in Afghanistan has been rising as international efforts there focus increasingly on development and aid.

Civilians work alongside military reconstruction teams at provincial bases around the country.

A "civilian surge" was one of the three core elements of the new US strategy for Afghanistan announced by US President Barack Obama at the beginning of the month.

This has been the deadliest year for foreign troops since the 2001 invasion.

Source: BBC News - Eight US 'CIA agents' killed in Afghanistan bomb attack

 

[S-2]

The article goes further to suggest the base was known in unofficial circles as an "irregular base", suggesting C.I.A. affiliation.

The base, however, also serves Provincial Reconstruction Teams in the area. Some of those personnel may have also been victims. In either case, it might make some sense that the C.I.A. and PRTs are co-located. I imagine that the C.I.A. probably has some of the best social science/cultural anthropology types going. If so, it wouldn't surprise me if they provide portfolio and intelligence support to PRTs with respect to the local tribal networks.

This was likely a big hit and, IMV, a strategic strike by A.Q./Haqqani. It might, depending upon the exact nature of the victims and their responsibilities, set matters back in development AND/OR intelligence targeting considerably. Possibly both.

Further, it's clear that the afghan taliban and others would absolutely like to promote an atmosphere of distrust between the ANA and other afghan governmental institutions and ISAF, especially at a time when ISAF is trying to expand these organizations.

Not easy to grow anywhere with any endeavor quickly and still be able to properly vett credentials. Afghanistan is 10 times harder. Distrust makes it harder still.

Thanks.

 

[Ahmad]

it looks like a joint attack by Haqani network and AQaeda. it will probably result in more pressure on GOP as they see the Haqanis as their assests.

 

[illuminatus]

it looks like a joint attack by Haqani network and AQaeda. it will probably result in more pressure on GOP as they see the Haqanis as their assests.

Yep, just looks like... Nothing affirmative though. Pressure won't yield any results I'm afraid.

 

[TaimiKhan]

it looks like a joint attack by Haqani network and AQaeda. it will probably result in more pressure on GOP as they see the Haqanis as their assests.

What the hell it has to do with Pakistan ?? The guy was an Afghan, he was wearing ANA uniform, his entering into the base and uniform suggests he was in ANA, how can Pakistan know the security arrangements and other stuff at the base to have directed the attack.

The Afghan Taliban are taking responsibility for it, why dragging in AQ and Haqqani in it ???

If US and ANA can't take care of their own soldiers, who they select, they do the scrutiny and training, why blame Pakistan for it.

And instead of pointing it at Pakistan or others, clean up the ANA first, its not the first incident, and unfortunately may not be the last.

 

[Ahmad]

What the hell it has to do with Pakistan ?? The guy was an Afghan, he was wearing ANA uniform, his entering into the base and uniform suggests he was in ANA, how can Pakistan know the security arrangements and other stuff at the base to have directed the attack.

The Afghan Taliban are taking responsibility for it, why dragging in AQ and Haqqani in it ???

If US and ANA can't take care of their own soldiers, who they select, they do the scrutiny and training, why blame Pakistan for it.

And instead of pointing it at Pakistan or others, clean up the ANA first, its not the first incident, and unfortunately may not be the last.

they had the uniform, but that does not mean that he wasnt a Talib, everybody can sign up for the army in afghanistan a disgused talib killer can do the same thing. and Haqanis are part of the taliban too.

 

[Ahmad]

Yep, just looks like... Nothing affirmative though. Pressure won't yield any results I'm afraid.

i am sure it will have some effect, it depends on what type of pressure and how much pressure they apply. i think GOP was more comfortable with Bush than Barak Hussain Obama. bush gave money and didnt ask anything, but B.H.Obama gives money and asks to do something.

 

[H2O3C4Nitrogen]

Afghan suicide bomber 'kills four CIA agents' after attacking base




A suicide bomber disguised as an Afghan soldier has killed eight US civilians inside base used by the CIA and wounded at least six others, in an audacious attack that marked a bloody end to 2009.

Reports in the Washington Post suggested that at least four of the dead were CIA agents, but the agency refused to confirm that any of its staff were involved.

Locals said they heard a massive explosion just before dusk yesterday and saw a huge plume of smoke rising from inside the heavily guarded compound, close to the capital of Khost province, in south eastern Afghanistan.

“We heard firing, but that’s normal,” said shopkeeper Mir Wali, 28, who lives around 200 metres from the camp perimeter. “We thought they were practising on the range.
“But then we heard a...really loud explosion. I though a rocket had landed on my house. When I came outside to see what had happened there were helicopters flying over the base, patrolling very close to the ground.”

Witnesses said they saw at least three air ambulances – Black Hawk helicopters marked with distinctive red crosses – swooping into the compound around a kilometre outside the provincial capital.

US embassy officials confirmed that eight American civilians were killed in the explosion at Forward Operating Base Chapman, but the CIA has neither confirmed nor denied whether its staff were affected. Security officials warned that some of those wounded were in a serious condition.

FOB Chapman is also home to Khost’s Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) – a military-led development group. PRTs have been widely criticised for endangering civilian aid workers by blurring the line between regular development staff and the military.

“Having CIA operatives in a PRT really raises serious concerns for us,” said a senior western official in Kabul. “We are hardly going to be encouraged to set up shop in dangerous areas, if the insurgents get the message that PRTs come promising development but they bring CIA agents.”

American newspapers said the bomber detonated his explosives inside the compound’s gym.

If the victims are confirmed as CIA staff, it would mark the worst loss of life for the intelligence agency since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, which they orchestrated in 2001.

In the southern province of Kandahar a Canadian journalist and four Canadian soldiers were also killed yesterday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb during a patrol south of the city.
It was the worst loss of life suffered by Canadian troops in two years.

The journalist, Michelle Lang, 34, was a health correspondent with the Calgary Herald on her first visit to Afghanistan. Friends said she was due to be married in July.

The Taleban claimed responsibility for both attacks. They said that the suicide bomber in Khost was an army officer called Samiullah, but the Afghan Ministry of Defence insisted that their claims were “baseless”.

In neighbouring Helmand province locals said that at least four civilians were killed by a rogue Nato air strike on Wednesday afternoon just north of the provincial capital.
The head of the provincial council, Haji Mohammed Anwar told The Times that the deaths occurred in Babaji, where British troops launched Operation Panther’s Claw in the summer.

Abdul Ahad Helmandwal, a community leader in neighbouring Nad-e Ali district, said that seven people were killed including two children aged 8 and 10. A spokesman for Helmand’s governor confirmed that civilians were killed but did not know how many or how old they were.

Nato’s International Security Assistance Force said that it was investigating the reports.

Meanwhile, in Oruzgan province, the provincial police chief said that six civlians had been beheaded by insurgents for collaborating with the Afghan Government.

Juma Gul Hamit said the men were murdered yesterday, near the provincial capital of Tarin Kot. He said a sixth man escaped with severe neck wounds.

Overall, 2009 has been the bloodiest year in Afghanistan during the current military campaign. Figures from the United Nations show civilian deaths rose 10.8 percent to 2,038 in the first 10 months of 2009, up from 1,838 in 2008. The majority, according to the UN, were killed by insurgents.

The independent website icasualties.org reported 520 international troops were killed last year, including 319 Americans and 107 British soldiers. In 2008 America and Britain lost fewer than half that number, with 155 and 51 fatalities respectively.

With the arrival of 30,000 more US troops as part of Barack Obama’s surge, most analysts believe the death toll will continue to rise next year.

Afghan suicide bomber 'kills four CIA agents' after attacking base - Times Online

 

[mr42O]

Is it Taliban way to say HAPPY NEW YEAR ? American way is to kill as many "suspected" taliban.

 

[H2O3C4Nitrogen]

In either case, it might make some sense that the C.I.A. and PRTs are co-located. I imagine that the C.I.A. probably has some of the best social science/cultural anthropology types going. If so, it wouldn't surprise me if they provide portfolio and intelligence support to PRTs with respect to the local tribal networks.

So the CIA is actually employing its valuable operatives just to serve only PRTs.. They could have hired Blackwater or Dyno corp or any other entity out of 40 different nations fighting in Afghanistan .
I guess CIA lost there moles while performing an orthodox feat that is social science/cultural anthropology . Feels like Obama doing chores and..

 

[H2O3C4Nitrogen]

This was likely a big hit and, IMV, a strategic strike by A.Q./Haqqani.

Good ...so by going after AQ/Haqqani you may be able to prevent future strategik hits ..
I think TaimiKhan is spot on . No matter to whom you point your finger at ,this strategic strike wouldnt have been possible without the courtesy of your very own loyal ANA soldier .
social science/cultural anthropology.....LMAO...

 

[H2O3C4Nitrogen]

Not easy to grow anywhere with any endeavor quickly and still be able to properly vett credentials.

I think Karzai was spot on when he said that he would be needing your money for the next , if i am not wrong , Two Decades ..rit !..

 

[illuminatus]

they had the uniform, but that does not mean that he wasnt a Talib, everybody can sign up for the army in afghanistan a disgused talib killer can do the same thing. and Haqanis are part of the taliban too.

How are you so sure. Have you seen it happen?

i am sure it will have some effect, it depends on what type of pressure and how much pressure they apply. i think GOP was more comfortable with Bush than Barak Hussain Obama. bush gave money and didnt ask anything, but B.H.Obama gives money and asks to do something.

Pakistanis reject US money. I think you been living in a cave in the past year. Again, no pressure will yield any results. The PA has already denied going after Haqqani network. What are you going to do about it?

 

[Fighter488]

Taliban kill 7 CIA men, 5 Canadians


In Uniform, Bomber Walks Into US Base


Kabul: A suicide bomber penetrated a foreign army base in Afghanistan to kill seven US CIA employees on Wednesday, one of the spy agency’s largest death tolls, and a separate attack killed four Canadian troops and a journalist.
A “well-dressed” Afghan army official detonated a suicide vest at a meeting of CIA officials in southeastern Khost province, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. “This deadly attack was carried out by a valorous Afghan army member when the officials were busy gaining information about the mujahideen, in the (fitness) club,” he wrote in an email.
The attack is one of the most ambitious of the war, highlighting the Taliban’s reach and coordination at a time when violence has reached its highest levels since the overthrow of the Taliban regime by US-backed Afghan forces in 2001. It was also the second Afghan army killing in as many days on the foreign troops and officials who are meant to be mentoring them, casting a shadow over plans to bolster the Afghan army and police to allow their troops to eventually bring them home.
The US is sending 30,000 extra troops to tackle the violence. An Afghan army official said on Wednesday that Washington had pledged $16 billion to train the army and air force.
When asked how the attacker managed to launch an assault in a foreign military base, Taliban spokesman Mujahid replied: “Since the man was an officer, he had not much difficulties.”
US officials said the dead Americans were CIA employees. The CIA has been expanding its presence in the country, stepping up strikes against Taliban and al-Qaida militants along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Forward Operating Base Chapman, the site of the suicide attack, is near the Pakistan border, in one of the areas of Afghanistan where the Taliban insurgency is strongest. The agency’s role hunting terrorism suspects in Afghanistan has been criticised by both Afghans and rights groups.
The five Canadians — four soldiers and a journalist — were killed when their armoured vehicle was hit by a bomb in southern Kandahar province, the Canadian defence ministry said. REUTERS

2 French journalists abducted in Afghanistan

Two French journalists have been kidnapped by insurgents northeast of the Afghan capital together with their translator and driver, cops said on Thursday. The abductions happened on Wednesday when the group was driving through Kapisa province, provincial police chief Matiuallah Safi said. “Two French journalists, their translator and driver were kidnapped by antigovernment elements”, Safi said. Both the Taliban and loyalists of another insurgent leader, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, operate in rugged Kapisa. REUTERS

Mehsud’s aide held, reveals plot to attack Wagah

Lahore: Authorities have arrested a senior Pakistani Taliban commander who led the group’s network in the key central province of Punjab, where violence has been increasing in recent months, police said on Thursday.
During interrogation, Khalillulah, whose arrest was announced, revealed that the Taliban were planning to attack the flag-lowering ceremony at the Wagah border. Khalillulah is said to be the right-hand man of the slain Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.
The arrest was made some 12 days ago when the cantonment division police and intelligence officials raided an outhouse in the Manawan locality.
Khalilullah is believed to be the mastermind of a market bombing in Punjab’s provincial capital, Lahore, on December 7 that killed 49 people, said senior police investigator Chaudhry Shafiq

 

[K^se]

http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-affairs/42957-cia-takes-big-hit-afghanistan.html

-Moderator delete this post, already thread about this merge it..