![Base Leader, Mother of Three, Killed in Suicide Attack [Update]](https://progresspond.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/pattern-1-1280x640.jpg)
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AP: Head of Afghan Base, a Mother of 3, Was Among 7 CIA Employees Killed; Taliban Claims Responsibility
The Central Intelligence Agency just released this statement:
CIA Director Leon E. Panetta informed the Agency workforce today that seven of their colleagues were killed and six others were injured at a Forward Operating Base in Khost Province, Afghanistan. The casualties were the result of a terrorist attack.
- “Those who fell yesterday were far from home and close to the enemy, doing the hard work that must be done to protect our country from terrorism,” Director Panetta said in a message to employees. “We owe them our deepest gratitude, and we pledge to them and their families that we will never cease fighting for the cause to which they dedicated their lives–a safer America.”
“Families have been our Agency’s first priority,” Director Panetta added. “Before sharing this information with anyone else, we wanted to be in contact with each of them. This is the most difficult news to bear under any circumstances, but that it comes during the holidays makes it even harder. In coming days and weeks, we will comfort them and honor their loved ones as a family. They are in our thoughts and prayers — now and always.”
Due to the sensitivity of their mission and other ongoing operations, neither the names of those killed nor the details of their work are being released at this time.
“Yesterday’s tragedy reminds us that the men and women of the CIA put their lives at risk every day to protect this nation. Throughout our history, the reality is that those who make a real difference often face real danger.”
Director Panetta credited US military doctors and nurses with saving the lives of those wounded in the attack. In honor and memory of the dead, he requested that the flags at CIA Headquarters be flown at half-staff.
The latest reports from Afghanistan had been that 8 Americans died in yesterday’s suicide bombing. We don’t know yet why the number has changed or whether another American might have been killed. It’s also possible there was some initial confusion.
The Associated Press says it has learned that “the chief of the CIA’s base in the Khost province of Afghanistan was among those killed.”
Seven stars will be added to memorial wall at CIA HQ
“We are doing what USAID does best, which is connecting with the people, and bringing to them what they’ve asked for, which are basic needs.”
Sarah-Ann Lynch, former Program Office Director, USAID/Afghanistan (pdf)
For Sarah-Ann Lynch, a seasoned Foreign Service Officer and mother of three–ages 15, 12, and 8–the most difficult thing about serving in Afghanistan was making the decision to go. The year-long position would entail an extended separation from her family.
As head of the program office, Lynch was in charge of assembling and managing the team that handled strategy and budget functions for the office, as well as donor coordination, information management, and cross-cutting issues such as gender.
“We had such a committed and solid team, both on the American and Afghan sides–and it’s rewarding for me to know that this team that I helped put together is still together, doing great and very important work to improve the lives of Afghans.”
The pace and pressure of the work was relentless but invigorating. Within two weeks of arriving, Lynch was asked to give a presentation on all USAID programs in the country to senior Afghan government officials.
“When you went to sleep at night, you never knew what challenges you would face the next day. It was definitely an exciting job,” she said.
Lynch was able to get out of Kabul fairly frequently for meetings and project visits. One of her most vivid memories is of a dedication ceremony she attended for a women’s garden center in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan. The project would allow local women to receive training and also have private space to themselves– a rare opportunity for many Afghan women. “I got to sit down with a small group of women at the center.
Like women everywhere, they just want more opportunities for their children and for themselves,” said Lynch, who has some insights into the struggles and rewards of motherhood.
Sarah-Ann Lynch’s work in Afghanistan has been her most memorable assignment at USAID
Update [2009-12-31 17:25 PST by Oui]:Afghan suicide bomber kills seven CIA agents after attacking base
(Times Online) – Chapman base is also home to Khost’s Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) — a military-led development group. PRTs have been criticised widely for endangering civilian aid workers by blurring the line between development staff and the military.
“Having CIA operatives in a PRT 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 bring CIA agents.” The CIA operates outside the Nato military command structure in Afghanistan, reporting directly to the Pentagon.
U.N. report criticised the “opaque” use of ultra-secretive CIA units
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
