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[World > U.S.]
By Barbara Starr, CNN
January 5, 2010 -- Updated 1215 GMT (2015 HKT)
Source: Jordanian double-agent killed 7 CIA officers in suicide blast
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
> U.S. official: Man had been used by U.S., Jordan for intelligence services
> Source says man had given "very detailed good information that was of high interest"
> Former official: Bomber was met off-base by U.S. officials who failed to search him
> Man killed seven CIA officials and a Jordanian military officer last week in Afghanistan
Washington (CNN) -- The suicide bomber who killed seven CIA officials and a Jordanian military officer last week in Afghanistan was a Jordanian double-agent, a former U.S. intelligence official told CNN Monday.
The bomber was a source who came to the base camp in Khost near the Pakistan border for a meeting on December 30, a senior U.S. official also confirmed.
The man had been used by both countries' intelligence services in the past, and had provided information about high-value targets, the senior U.S. official said.
"Yes, it was a joint U.S.-Jordanian source who had provided over the period of his cooperation a lot of very detailed good information that was of high interest at the most senior levels of the U.S government," the former U.S. intelligence official said.
The security breach occurred because the bomber was met off-base by U.S. intelligence officials who failed to search him before they put him in a car and drove him onto Forward Operating Base Chapman, the former intelligence official said.
Both the Jordanian and U.S. intelligence services believed the man was loyal, according to the former intelligence official.
"Clearly there is a lot of soul searching" at CIA headquarters in Virginia, according to the former intelligence official.
The bomber was identified as Human Khalil Abu-Mulal al Balawi, from the Jordanian town of Zarqa, also home to the late Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the one-time leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, the former intelligence official said.
Both the Jordanian and U.S. intelligence agencies apparently believed al Balawi had been rehabilitated from extremist views and were using him to hunt Ayman al Zawahiri, the second-ranking al Qaeda official to Osama bin Laden, the former intelligence official said.
Jordanian intelligence services have long covertly cooperated with the United States, specifically in the hunt for al Zawahiri and bin Laden, because of the ability of Jordanian agents to blend into the al Qaeda organization, noted the former intelligence official.
Also killed in last week's attack in Afghanistan was Jordanian Army Captain Sharif Ali bin Zeid, a cousin of King Abdullah of Jordan. The Jordanian government has not publicly commented on the specific circumstances of bin Zeid's death, but U.S. sources confirmed bin Zeid was present and was the Jordanian operative working closely with al Balawi.
The CIA refused to comment Monday, saying the matter was under investigation. The bodies of the seven CIA employees were flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to a private ceremony attended by CIA Director Leon Panetta, other agency and national security officials, and friends and family.
A Jordanian official who did not want to be identified said bin Zeid "was killed on Wednesday in the line of duty as he was taking part in a humanitarian mission carried out by the Jordan Armed Forces in Afghanistan."
The Jordanian official added: "Jordan's position in the war on terror is clear; we are fully committed to fighting al Qaeda, which is a threat to Jordan as it is a threat to the United States. We are also committed to continuing our cooperation with the United States and the international community in the fight against terror and in defeating al Qaeda."
In a posting on its Web site last week, the Taliban in Afghanistan claimed the bomber was an Afghan National Army soldier.
On Sunday, however, Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud said in an e-mail that "we claim the responsibility for the attack on the CIA in Afghanistan."
"The suicide bomber was a Jordanian national. This will be admitted by the CIA and the Jordanian government" the message said.
The attack occurred at a forward operating base, which a U.S. intelligence official acknowledged was a crucial CIA post and a "hub of activity." The main purpose of CIA forward operating bases in Afghanistan, officials have noted, is to recruit informants and to plan and coordinate covert operations, including drone surveillance and targeting.
The attack was "a huge blow, symbolically and tactically," because it eliminated such a large number of CIA officers, who can require years to become ingrained in the region, said Reva Bhalla, director of analysis for STRATFOR -- an international intelligence company. In addition, the attack showed the ability of the Taliban to penetrate perhaps the most difficult of targets -- a CIA base, she said.
Former CIA official Robert Richer called it "the greatest loss of life for the Central Intelligence Agency since the Beirut Embassy bombing" in 1983, which killed eight agents.
An American intelligence official vowed last week that the United States would avenge the attack. Two of those killed were contractors with private security firm Xe, formerly known as Blackwater, a former intelligence official told CNN. The CIA considers contractors to be officers.
On Sunday, a local administration official and an intelligence official told CNN that two guided missiles struck a compound in the Pakistani village of Musaki in North Waziristan suspected of being a gathering place for local and foreign militants.
The attack killed Sadiq Noor, a teacher; his 9-year-old son; and three people from outside the country, according to the sources, who said the missiles were believed to have been fired by an unmanned drone. There was no immediate U.S. confirmation of the missile attack.
[World]
January 5, 2010 -- Updated 1241 GMT (2041 HKT)
U.S. reopens embassy in Yemen
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
> U.S. Embassy in Yemen reopens after being closed due to threats by al Qaeda
> U.S. Secretary of State calls Yemen situation a possible threat to regional, global security
> Great Britain closed its embassy in Yemen
> France, Spain, Japan and Germany made changes to enhance embassy security
(CNN) -- The U.S. Embassy in Yemen, which was closed over the weekend due to security concerns, reopened Tuesday.
A statement posted on the embassy's Web site said that "successful counter-terrorism operations" conducted by Yemeni security forces had addressed specific concerns.
"Nevertheless, the threat of terrorist attacks against American interests remains high and the Embassy continues to urge its citizens in Yemen to be vigilant and take prudent security measures," the statement said.
A senior State Department official, who did not want to speak on the record due to the sensitive nature of the information, said Yemeni authorities have helped the United States with additional security precautions at the embassy site.
Yemen fertile ground for terror groups
The United States' decision to close its embassy in Yemen came after intelligence suggested that four al Qaeda operatives may be planning an attack on the compound, a senior administration official said Monday.
The United States had information that a group of eight terrorists had been planning an attack, the official said. Three were killed by Yemeni forces in recent days and another was captured wearing a suicide vest, but the other four were believed to be at large, the official said.
Earlier Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the situation in Yemen a possible threat to regional and global security. However, Clinton commended Yemen for taking action against al Qaeda networks and added: "We are reiterating our commitment to assist in those efforts."
The United States and Britain closed their embassies Sunday. Britain's Foreign Office also cited security concerns and remained closed on Tuesday.
"The British Embassy in Yemen will remain closed to the public today," a statement from the embassy said. "Some embassy personnel will be in and whoever needs to contact the embassy can do it via the phone or email but people won't be able to walk into the embassy."
Several other nations also made changes at their embassies Monday, including Japan, France, Spain and Germany. Each country cited the need for increased security measures.
France closed its embassy to the public. French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said Tuesday that embassy employees will continue their work, but without any visits from the public.
Valero said the embassy will reopen once work to secure the site, already in progress before the latest threat, has been finished.
Japan halted service at the consulate section of its embassy in Sanaa. The Japanese Foreign Ministry said the decision was based on the threat of terror, though not a specific threat. The embassy continued functioning.
Spain restricted public access to its embassy, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said, adding that the embassy continued to function "normally."
Germany said that while its embassy remained fully operational, security measures were increased. A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said fewer visitors were allowed into the embassy compound. The embassy had not received any terror threats, the spokesman said.
CONTINUED ON newscnn2
[World > U.S.]
By Barbara Starr, CNN
January 5, 2010 -- Updated 1215 GMT (2015 HKT)
Source: Jordanian double-agent killed 7 CIA officers in suicide blast
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
> U.S. official: Man had been used by U.S., Jordan for intelligence services
> Source says man had given "very detailed good information that was of high interest"
> Former official: Bomber was met off-base by U.S. officials who failed to search him
> Man killed seven CIA officials and a Jordanian military officer last week in Afghanistan
Washington (CNN) -- The suicide bomber who killed seven CIA officials and a Jordanian military officer last week in Afghanistan was a Jordanian double-agent, a former U.S. intelligence official told CNN Monday.
The bomber was a source who came to the base camp in Khost near the Pakistan border for a meeting on December 30, a senior U.S. official also confirmed.
The man had been used by both countries' intelligence services in the past, and had provided information about high-value targets, the senior U.S. official said.
"Yes, it was a joint U.S.-Jordanian source who had provided over the period of his cooperation a lot of very detailed good information that was of high interest at the most senior levels of the U.S government," the former U.S. intelligence official said.
The security breach occurred because the bomber was met off-base by U.S. intelligence officials who failed to search him before they put him in a car and drove him onto Forward Operating Base Chapman, the former intelligence official said.
Both the Jordanian and U.S. intelligence services believed the man was loyal, according to the former intelligence official.
"Clearly there is a lot of soul searching" at CIA headquarters in Virginia, according to the former intelligence official.
The bomber was identified as Human Khalil Abu-Mulal al Balawi, from the Jordanian town of Zarqa, also home to the late Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the one-time leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, the former intelligence official said.
Both the Jordanian and U.S. intelligence agencies apparently believed al Balawi had been rehabilitated from extremist views and were using him to hunt Ayman al Zawahiri, the second-ranking al Qaeda official to Osama bin Laden, the former intelligence official said.
Jordanian intelligence services have long covertly cooperated with the United States, specifically in the hunt for al Zawahiri and bin Laden, because of the ability of Jordanian agents to blend into the al Qaeda organization, noted the former intelligence official.
Also killed in last week's attack in Afghanistan was Jordanian Army Captain Sharif Ali bin Zeid, a cousin of King Abdullah of Jordan. The Jordanian government has not publicly commented on the specific circumstances of bin Zeid's death, but U.S. sources confirmed bin Zeid was present and was the Jordanian operative working closely with al Balawi.
The CIA refused to comment Monday, saying the matter was under investigation. The bodies of the seven CIA employees were flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to a private ceremony attended by CIA Director Leon Panetta, other agency and national security officials, and friends and family.
A Jordanian official who did not want to be identified said bin Zeid "was killed on Wednesday in the line of duty as he was taking part in a humanitarian mission carried out by the Jordan Armed Forces in Afghanistan."
The Jordanian official added: "Jordan's position in the war on terror is clear; we are fully committed to fighting al Qaeda, which is a threat to Jordan as it is a threat to the United States. We are also committed to continuing our cooperation with the United States and the international community in the fight against terror and in defeating al Qaeda."
In a posting on its Web site last week, the Taliban in Afghanistan claimed the bomber was an Afghan National Army soldier.
On Sunday, however, Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud said in an e-mail that "we claim the responsibility for the attack on the CIA in Afghanistan."
"The suicide bomber was a Jordanian national. This will be admitted by the CIA and the Jordanian government" the message said.
The attack occurred at a forward operating base, which a U.S. intelligence official acknowledged was a crucial CIA post and a "hub of activity." The main purpose of CIA forward operating bases in Afghanistan, officials have noted, is to recruit informants and to plan and coordinate covert operations, including drone surveillance and targeting.
The attack was "a huge blow, symbolically and tactically," because it eliminated such a large number of CIA officers, who can require years to become ingrained in the region, said Reva Bhalla, director of analysis for STRATFOR -- an international intelligence company. In addition, the attack showed the ability of the Taliban to penetrate perhaps the most difficult of targets -- a CIA base, she said.
Former CIA official Robert Richer called it "the greatest loss of life for the Central Intelligence Agency since the Beirut Embassy bombing" in 1983, which killed eight agents.
An American intelligence official vowed last week that the United States would avenge the attack. Two of those killed were contractors with private security firm Xe, formerly known as Blackwater, a former intelligence official told CNN. The CIA considers contractors to be officers.
On Sunday, a local administration official and an intelligence official told CNN that two guided missiles struck a compound in the Pakistani village of Musaki in North Waziristan suspected of being a gathering place for local and foreign militants.
The attack killed Sadiq Noor, a teacher; his 9-year-old son; and three people from outside the country, according to the sources, who said the missiles were believed to have been fired by an unmanned drone. There was no immediate U.S. confirmation of the missile attack.
[World]
January 5, 2010 -- Updated 1241 GMT (2041 HKT)
U.S. reopens embassy in Yemen
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
> U.S. Embassy in Yemen reopens after being closed due to threats by al Qaeda
> U.S. Secretary of State calls Yemen situation a possible threat to regional, global security
> Great Britain closed its embassy in Yemen
> France, Spain, Japan and Germany made changes to enhance embassy security
(CNN) -- The U.S. Embassy in Yemen, which was closed over the weekend due to security concerns, reopened Tuesday.
A statement posted on the embassy's Web site said that "successful counter-terrorism operations" conducted by Yemeni security forces had addressed specific concerns.
"Nevertheless, the threat of terrorist attacks against American interests remains high and the Embassy continues to urge its citizens in Yemen to be vigilant and take prudent security measures," the statement said.
A senior State Department official, who did not want to speak on the record due to the sensitive nature of the information, said Yemeni authorities have helped the United States with additional security precautions at the embassy site.
Yemen fertile ground for terror groups
The United States' decision to close its embassy in Yemen came after intelligence suggested that four al Qaeda operatives may be planning an attack on the compound, a senior administration official said Monday.
The United States had information that a group of eight terrorists had been planning an attack, the official said. Three were killed by Yemeni forces in recent days and another was captured wearing a suicide vest, but the other four were believed to be at large, the official said.
Earlier Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the situation in Yemen a possible threat to regional and global security. However, Clinton commended Yemen for taking action against al Qaeda networks and added: "We are reiterating our commitment to assist in those efforts."
The United States and Britain closed their embassies Sunday. Britain's Foreign Office also cited security concerns and remained closed on Tuesday.
"The British Embassy in Yemen will remain closed to the public today," a statement from the embassy said. "Some embassy personnel will be in and whoever needs to contact the embassy can do it via the phone or email but people won't be able to walk into the embassy."
Several other nations also made changes at their embassies Monday, including Japan, France, Spain and Germany. Each country cited the need for increased security measures.
France closed its embassy to the public. French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said Tuesday that embassy employees will continue their work, but without any visits from the public.
Valero said the embassy will reopen once work to secure the site, already in progress before the latest threat, has been finished.
Japan halted service at the consulate section of its embassy in Sanaa. The Japanese Foreign Ministry said the decision was based on the threat of terror, though not a specific threat. The embassy continued functioning.
Spain restricted public access to its embassy, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said, adding that the embassy continued to function "normally."
Germany said that while its embassy remained fully operational, security measures were increased. A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said fewer visitors were allowed into the embassy compound. The embassy had not received any terror threats, the spokesman said.
CONTINUED ON newscnn2
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