Afghanistan suicide bomb leaves seven Americans dead
Thursday, December 31, 2009
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A suicide bomber attacked an American base in the Khowst region on the Pakistani border of Afghanistan, leaving seven American CIA officers dead and six injured. No American or NATO military personnel were killed or injured in the attack on Forward Operating Base Chapman.
It appears that the suicide bomber, reportedly wearing an Afghan National Army uniform, blew himself up in either the gym or the dining facility of Base Chapman.
In a statement on the Voice of Jihad web page, the Taliban claimed responsiblity for the attack, alleging 20 "CIA employees" were killed in the incident.
The Chapman Base is a converted military base which is now being used for civilian reconstruction operations, although military personnel are still located on the base. Camp Salerno, the main base in the Khowst province, has been the target of many attacks in recent weeks.
Recent attacks have been focused on foreign civilians, such as an incident in October in which 7 foreign and 3 Afghan civilians were killed in an attack at a UN guest house. The CIA has not lost this many operatives in nearly 25 years and the last time CIA agents were killed was in 2003.
Related news
- "Attack on UN guesthouse by Taliban in Afghanistan kills nine" — Wikinews, October 30, 2009
Sources
- Paul Richter. "Afghanistan suicide bombing kills 8 American civilians" — Los Angeles Times, December 30, 2009
- Toby Harnden. "Suicide bomber kills 8 US civilians in Afghanistan" — The Daily Telegraph, December 30, 2009
- Nick Schifrin. "Eight U.S. Civilians Killed by Afghan Suicide Bomber" — ABC News, December 30, 2009
- "CIA chief confirms seven officers killed by Afghan bomb" — The BBC, December 31, 2009
- Zabihullah Mujahid. "Twenty American CIA staff killed in martyrdom operation" — Voice of Jihad, December 31, 2009
- Alissa J. Rubin and Mark Mazzetti. "C.I.A. Confirms 7 of Its Employees Were Killed in Afghanistan" — New York Times, December 31, 2009
