CIA building attack in Kabul

Armed men have attacked a US compound in Kabul that is believed to include a major CIA office for Afghanistan, according to news reports and official sources.

The Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment but a US government source acknowledged the building targeted in Sunday's attack, considered part of the US embassy compound in Kabul, likely contained CIA offices.

The BBC reported gunfire and a blast were heard from the compound in the capital. It said a US official confirmed there was an attack on a facility previously known as the Ariana hotel.

A US official confirmed to the Reuters news agency that an attack was made against a facility used by US officials in Kabul, saying that the situation is fluid and the investigation continues.

The official did not immediately respond to questions about who might be behind the latest attack.

'Test transition'

Analysts say some groups in Afghanistan want to derail NATO's plans to handover security responsibility to Afghan forces by 2014.

Kabul, at one time considered a relatively secure area, has witnessed several recent attacks. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO's secretary-general, recently told reporters: "We are witnessing that the Taliban try to test transition but they can't stop it. Transition is on track and it will continue."

Last week, Burhanuddin Rabbani, Afghanistan's former president who headed a team tasked with negotiating peace with the Taliban, waskilled in a suicide attack on his home.

Two weeks ago, fighters launched an assault against the US embassy and NATO headquartersin Kabul. US officials blamed those attacks on the Taliban-linked Haqqani network, an Afghani group based in Pakistan's tribal areas.

The officials said there was intelligence, including intercepted phone calls, suggesting those attackers were in communication with people connected to Pakistan's principal spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate.

Pakistani officials strongly denied any ISI connection to the earlier Kabul attacks.



Aljazeera.nets and official sources.

The Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment but a US government source acknowledged the building targeted in Sunday's attack, considered part of the US embassy compound in Kabul, likely contained CIA offices.

The BBC reported gunfire and a blast were heard from the compound in the capital. It said a US official confirmed there was an attack on a facility previously known as the Ariana hotel.

A US official confirmed to the Reuters news agency that an attack was made against a facility used by US officials in Kabul, saying that the situation is fluid and the investigation continues.

The official did not immediately respond to questions about who might be behind the latest attack.

'Test transition'

Analysts say some groups in Afghanistan want to derail NATO's plans to handover security responsibility to Afghan forces by 2014.

Kabul, at one time considered a relatively secure area, has witnessed several recent attacks. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO's secretary-general, recently told reporters: "We are witnessing that the Taliban try to test transition but they can't stop it. Transition is on track and it will continue."

Last week, Burhanuddin Rabbani, Afghanistan's former president who headed a team tasked with negotiating peace with the Taliban, waskilled in a suicide attack on his home.

Two weeks ago, fighters launched an assault against the US embassy and NATO headquartersin Kabul. US officials blamed those attacks on the Taliban-linked Haqqani network, an Afghani group based in Pakistan's tribal areas.

The officials said there was intelligence, including intercepted phone calls, suggesting those attackers were in communication with people connected to Pakistan's principal spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate.

Pakistani officials strongly denied any ISI connection to the earlier Kabul attacks.



Aljazeera.net