Eight
CIA Officials killed In Afghan Bomb Attack
A
suicide bomber penetrated a foreign army base in Afghanistan on
Wednesday and killed eight U.S. CIA employees, one of the spy
agency's largest death tolls.
A separate attack also killed four Canadian troops and a
journalist.
The Canadian Defence Ministry said the five Canadians, four
soldiers and a journalist, were killed when their armoured
vehicle was hit by a bomb in southern Kandahar province.
The blast, about 4 km outside Kandahar, struck the patrol as it
was visiting community reconstruction projects.
The Khost base targeted by the suicide attacker is also a centre
for reconstruction projects, a key part of Obama's strategy to
stabilise the country.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, said, ’’A ‘well-dressed’
Afghan army official detonated a suicide vest at a meeting of
CIA officials in south-eastern Khost province.’’
U.S. officials said the dead Americans were CIA employees.
Defence officials said some people were also wounded in the
explosion, but no U.S. or NATO troops among them.
Timeline
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 U.S.-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.
U.S. President Barack Obama is sending 30,000 extra troops to
tackle the violence and NATO allies are contributing thousands
more.
Canada Counts its cost
The journalist killed was Michelle Lang, 34, on assignment
for the CanWest News Service. Lang was on her first assignment
in Afghanistan and had been in the country since December 11.
She is the third journalist to die in Afghanistan this year.
The attack brought Canada's military deaths in Afghanistan to
138.
Canada has 2,800-strong military mission in Afghanistan, but the
mission has become increasingly unpopular at home and it is
scheduled to be withdrawn at the end of 2011.
NAN/Yinka
