Seven CIA Workers Killed in Afghanistan, Six Injured

Some bad news for the end of 2009, seven Central Intelligence Agency employees killed and six more injured in a terrorist attack on Dec 30th at a base in eastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan.

"This has to be one of the highest losses in a single bombing [in the agency’s history]. To lose seven at one time, that’s a bit staggering," said Mark Lowenthal, former CIA assistant director for analysis and production.

"CIA officers operating from such a base regularly mingle with the local population as part of their job, so it wouldn’t be unheard-of that an attacker could slip through security, Lowenthal said."

"The Taliban claimed responsibility, Agence France-Presse reported earlier."

"Obama has stepped up pressure on a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan by increasing the U.S. military force by 23,000 earlier this year, including 4,000 trainers, and authorizing 30,000 more to be in place next year."

Lowenthal claims that the incident won't affect the CIA's role in Afghanistan (they had first been deployed after the 2001 terror attacks) and instead "What they’ll rethink is how can we do this more safely."

"The U.S. is pressing the government of neighboring Pakistan to cooperate more in combating militants on its own territory, and Obama has vowed to use all elements of U.S. power to destroy al-Qaeda and undermine its allies."

What happened: "an Afghan National Army officer wearing a suicide vest entered the base and blew himself up inside the gym, the AP reported, citing a statement from Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid."
"A U.S. official briefed on the blast also said it took place in the gym, the AP reported" as a second opinion reference.


It seems that what it takes for further measures of security to take place is after tragedy strikes. Hopefully, going into 2010, there will be less loss for both sides of this long war.

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-Annie Yang