Reporting from Washington and Rochester, N.Y. - The suicide bombing that killed seven CIA employees at a U.S. base will temporarily slow U.S. intelligence-gathering in eastern Afghanistan, but the agency will not retrench on its ambitious buildup in the country while it conducts a security review, officials said Thursday.
Military and intelligence officials were scrambling to determine how the bomber penetrated a forbidding network of barriers, barbed wire and watchtowers at Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khowst province near the Pakistani border, and made his way deep inside to set off a thunderous blast.
Western officials were deeply concerned that the assailant had insider's knowledge of the base layout and security practices, according to an official familiar with the investigation. Some reports said that the attacker was wearing a uniform of the Afghan National Army and carried an identification card, and that officials were trying to determine whether the uniform was stolen or the ID card fake."Does this mean we have a guy who went postal?" asked one U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Or is there any element within the ANA that is extremist?"
Other reports suggested that the bomber may have been brought onto the base by CIA operatives who wanted to turn the Afghan into an informer.
U.S. officials said they believed a Taliban claim of responsibility for the attack was legitimate.
Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense vigorously denied that the suicide bomber was an Afghan soldier. But the allegation clearly stung, because there have been several recent instances in which members of the Afghan security forces turned guns on their Western mentors.
Intelligence operations at the base target extremist groups including Al Qaeda, the network of Jalaluddin Haqqani, and other militants aligned with the Taliban, officials said. Taliban fighters from both Afghanistan and Pakistan find refuge in the adjacent tribal areas of Pakistan.
Officials declined to provide a more detailed account of the work, but one senior U.S. official said the attack would have a short-term effect on intelligence-gathering in eastern Afghanistan.
Current and former U.S. intelligence officials said the agency would conduct an assessment to determine how security procedures at the base broke down. But officials insisted that the agency would not suspend operations in Afghanistan for the review.
"There's no talk -- none -- of retrenching or slowing the pace of CIA activities," said a U.S. intelligence official. "There are plenty of people ready, able, and in place to pursue the fight. The atmosphere at Langley is one of even greater focus and determination. The place is galvanized."
The CIA has been building up its presence in far-flung parts of Afghanistan, particularly in areas such as Khowst, to gather intelligence as the military prepares to add 30,000 U.S. troops, bringing the total to about 100,000. Officials said in fall that the CIA was deploying spies, analysts and paramilitary operatives, and that the agency's station in Afghanistan would become one of the largest in agency history.
Officials initially reported that eight CIA employees had been killed in the attack Wednesday. But CIA Director Leon E. Panetta, in a note to the agency workforce Thursday, said seven had died and six were wounded.
"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," he said.
The attack is the deadliest for the CIA since the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in 1983, in which eight operatives reportedly were killed.
Current and former U.S. officials said that two or three were contractors working for the CIA, and that the rest were career agency employees.
Among those killed was a female officer who served as chief of the CIA base near Khowst, and was a long-time officer in the CIA's Counter-Terrorism Center, according to agency veterans. Her name was not disclosed.
Former CIA officials said some of those killed worked for the CIA's paramilitary branch, known as the Special Activities Division.
One official said that by casting suspicion on the Afghan National Army, perpetrators were trying to drive a wedge between U.S. intelligence personnel and Afghans.
The director of military intelligence in Afghanistan, Maj. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, has been pushing for greater information sharing and cooperation. Military officials said plans to hire Afghans to guard U.S. forward operating bases would not be canceled. Under that program, which is beginning in eastern Afghanistan, Afghans will guard towers, patrol perimeter fences and man checkpoints.
Military officials say that hiring Afghans will improve ties, provide jobs and build trust with local tribes, helping erode support for the Taliban. Equally important, officials believe that by taking Americans and international forces off mundane guard tasks, commanders will be able to put more forces in the field.
The disclosure that the base was home to a major CIA presence was disconcerting to some Afghan officials who work closely with the civilian reconstruction and development officials also based at Chapman.
"We were surprised to hear the CIA are there," said Gul Jamil, a member of Khowst's provincial council. "But the most important thing now is how this base was infiltrated despite tight security."
Afghans living and working near the base, which lies just outside Khowst city, the provincial capital, recounted hearing an extremely loud explosion about 4:30 p.m., as winter darkness was already falling.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Thousands welcome 2010 in Times Square; brave cold and terror fears
Three, two, one . . . It's 2010!
Hundreds of thousands of revelers from all over the globe braved freezing drizzle Thursday night to ring in the new decade in Times Square.
"Look at all the people," gushed Peter Kalkzewiak, 32, of Warsaw, Poland, who was visiting New York for the first time. "A million people. I've never seen anything like it."
Bundled up against the cold rain, the masses of people wearing funny hats started gathering early in the afternoon.
Despite a rotten forecast and fears of terrorism, nothing could dampen the party mood in the famed Crossroads of the World.
"We made it. It's amazing," said Enid Boyd, 51, of Miami, hugging five members of her family after the crystal-covered ball came down. "What a terrific way to spend the new year."
"It's great. I can't explain it," said Katie Holley, 23, of Virginia, sharing a midnight kiss with her boyfriend, Daniel. "It's so pretty, so fun, so much confetti."
"Last year, my resolution was to be in Times Square for New Year's, so I'm here," said Lucrecia Theobald, 40, of the Dominican Republic. "It's beautiful, exciting, the best place to be."
Navy reservists Jamie Pisano, 21, and Ryan Laurentus, 21, both of New Milford, Conn., wanted to party before they both get sent overseas.
"This is America," said Pisano. "It's a good time."
An army of cops, vigilant against trouble, greeted crowds with hand-held metal detectors.
Even with the Christmas Day terror attempt weighing on the nation, few admitted giving a second thought to fulfilling what for many is a lifetime dream.
"It's a little worrying, but not enough to not come," said Lisa Winter, 26, of Fresno, Calif.
"You have to do this at least once in life," said Javier Trevino, 31, of Monterrey, Mexico. "Times Square is the middle of the world."
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly expected fewer partygoers in Times Square because of the damp weather, but vowed to have his troops out in full force.
"Our security regimen remains the same," Kelly said. "We have the most comprehensive counterterrorism program anywhere."
Jordan Diddle, 13, of Greensboro, N.C., thought it was a bit much to need a police escort from an NYPD-barricaded area near 42nd St. to a portable toilet.
"I feel like I'm being held hostage," Jordan said.
Jordan's father, Tony Diddle, 48, said he and his family were eagerly anticipating the midnight hoopla they only knew from television.
"We decided it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and this is our once," Tony Diddle said as "New Year's Rockin' Eve" host Ryan Seacrest walked by.
Selle Suppan, 55, a hospital administrator from Ohio, said she and her friends brought a box of Depends adult diapers to eliminate the worry of rest room emergencies.
"That's the big super secret at these kinds of functions," Suppan said.
Bob Rucker, 35, of Selden, L.I., was among the few locals to join the sprawling crowd. His friend Mick Dekranes, 19, of Atlanta talked him into going.
"I've lived in New York my entire life and I've never been here," Rucker said.
"It's pretty crazy to be in the mix with all these people," Dekranes said. "It's insane."
Hundreds of thousands of revelers from all over the globe braved freezing drizzle Thursday night to ring in the new decade in Times Square.
"Look at all the people," gushed Peter Kalkzewiak, 32, of Warsaw, Poland, who was visiting New York for the first time. "A million people. I've never seen anything like it."Bundled up against the cold rain, the masses of people wearing funny hats started gathering early in the afternoon.
Despite a rotten forecast and fears of terrorism, nothing could dampen the party mood in the famed Crossroads of the World.
"We made it. It's amazing," said Enid Boyd, 51, of Miami, hugging five members of her family after the crystal-covered ball came down. "What a terrific way to spend the new year."
"It's great. I can't explain it," said Katie Holley, 23, of Virginia, sharing a midnight kiss with her boyfriend, Daniel. "It's so pretty, so fun, so much confetti."
"Last year, my resolution was to be in Times Square for New Year's, so I'm here," said Lucrecia Theobald, 40, of the Dominican Republic. "It's beautiful, exciting, the best place to be."
Navy reservists Jamie Pisano, 21, and Ryan Laurentus, 21, both of New Milford, Conn., wanted to party before they both get sent overseas.
"This is America," said Pisano. "It's a good time."
An army of cops, vigilant against trouble, greeted crowds with hand-held metal detectors.
Even with the Christmas Day terror attempt weighing on the nation, few admitted giving a second thought to fulfilling what for many is a lifetime dream.
"It's a little worrying, but not enough to not come," said Lisa Winter, 26, of Fresno, Calif.
"You have to do this at least once in life," said Javier Trevino, 31, of Monterrey, Mexico. "Times Square is the middle of the world."
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly expected fewer partygoers in Times Square because of the damp weather, but vowed to have his troops out in full force.
"Our security regimen remains the same," Kelly said. "We have the most comprehensive counterterrorism program anywhere."
Jordan Diddle, 13, of Greensboro, N.C., thought it was a bit much to need a police escort from an NYPD-barricaded area near 42nd St. to a portable toilet.
"I feel like I'm being held hostage," Jordan said.
Jordan's father, Tony Diddle, 48, said he and his family were eagerly anticipating the midnight hoopla they only knew from television.
"We decided it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and this is our once," Tony Diddle said as "New Year's Rockin' Eve" host Ryan Seacrest walked by.
Selle Suppan, 55, a hospital administrator from Ohio, said she and her friends brought a box of Depends adult diapers to eliminate the worry of rest room emergencies.
"That's the big super secret at these kinds of functions," Suppan said.
Bob Rucker, 35, of Selden, L.I., was among the few locals to join the sprawling crowd. His friend Mick Dekranes, 19, of Atlanta talked him into going.
"I've lived in New York my entire life and I've never been here," Rucker said.
"It's pretty crazy to be in the mix with all these people," Dekranes said. "It's insane."
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Israeli Planes Strike Targets In Gaza
GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli planes carried out air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, injuring seven Palestinians, Palestinian medical workers said.
An army spokesman said the strikes, which occurred after a rocket fired from the Hamas-run enclave landed in Israel, had targeted two factories in the central and northern Gaza used to make weapons and a smuggling tunnel under the border with Egypt.
Palestinian witnesses and medical workers said the targets included a metal foundry in the central Gaza Strip, a caravan in the north and smuggling tunnels in the south.
The attacks occurred one day after Hamas said it had reached an agreement with smaller armed groups in the territory to halt sporadic rocket fire towards Israel, which often responds with air strikes.
The army spokesman said the air strikes were in response to a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on Saturday. It landed near the city of Sderot, causing no injuries or damage, he said.
Calm along the Israel-Gaza frontier has been largely maintained since Israel ended a 22-day war against Hamas in the territory in January with the aim of halting daily rocket fire.
The Israeli military usually responds to sporadic rocket attacks by launching air strikes against tunnels under the Egyptian border used to smuggle goods and weapons into Gaza.
Egypt has been trying to mediate a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas that would include the release of a captured Israeli soldier held in Gaza since 2006 in return for hundreds of Palestinians jailed in Israel.
An army spokesman said the strikes, which occurred after a rocket fired from the Hamas-run enclave landed in Israel, had targeted two factories in the central and northern Gaza used to make weapons and a smuggling tunnel under the border with Egypt.
Palestinian witnesses and medical workers said the targets included a metal foundry in the central Gaza Strip, a caravan in the north and smuggling tunnels in the south.
The attacks occurred one day after Hamas said it had reached an agreement with smaller armed groups in the territory to halt sporadic rocket fire towards Israel, which often responds with air strikes.
The army spokesman said the air strikes were in response to a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on Saturday. It landed near the city of Sderot, causing no injuries or damage, he said.
Calm along the Israel-Gaza frontier has been largely maintained since Israel ended a 22-day war against Hamas in the territory in January with the aim of halting daily rocket fire.
The Israeli military usually responds to sporadic rocket attacks by launching air strikes against tunnels under the Egyptian border used to smuggle goods and weapons into Gaza.
Egypt has been trying to mediate a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas that would include the release of a captured Israeli soldier held in Gaza since 2006 in return for hundreds of Palestinians jailed in Israel.
China mine death toll rises to 87
The death toll from a coal mine explosion in north-east China has risen to 87.According to Chinese state media, 21 other miners are still trapped underground.
Officials say hopes are fading of finding any more survivors in the country's latest coal mine disaster.
According to rescue official Zhang Fucheng, dense gas and collapsed tunnels have hampered rescue efforts.
The accident was caused yesterday by a huge underground gas explosion which rocked the Xinxing mine in Heilongjiang near the Russian border.
A total of 528 workers were in the mine at the time and hundreds escaped.
The mine's general manager and chief engineer have been sacked, according to Chinese media reports.
China has an appalling work safety record in mines, with hundreds of workers dying each year.
Explaining cost savings in the Senate bill
Reporting from Washington - Some reader questions about the healthcare legislation in Congress:
If the Senate bill is estimated to cost $848 billion over the next decade, how can Democrats say it will cut the federal budget deficit by $130 billion?
The Congressional Budget Office says that the government will take in more in revenues from taxes and fees -- and save money by trimming the fat out of Medicare -- than it will spend extending health coverage to more Americans.
Under the Senate plan, a tax on high-cost insurance plans is expected to generate about $150 billion over the next decade. Fees on drug companies, medical device makers and insurers are expected to bring in about $100 billion. The bill also raises the payroll tax on high-income workers who receive Medicare.
At the same time, it projects extracting about $436 billion in cost savings in Medicare over the next 10 years, mainly by changing the way doctors and hospitals are paid.
Does that mean my Medicare benefits will be slashed?
Payments would be reduced to Medicare Advantage plans, a popular private alternative to standard Medicare.
The bill also would establish a commission that would be charged with finding other sources of savings.
The Congressional Budget Office says it is likely that the commission will focus on reducing payments for benefits that are not required under Medicare but that are often offered by Medicare Advantage plans.
What about the tax on cosmetic surgery?
The Senate bill imposes a 5% tax on elective cosmetic procedures or surgeries. It would apply if the procedure is "not necessary to ameliorate a deformity arising from, or directly related to, a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from an accident or trauma, or disfiguring disease." That likely includes such procedures as nose jobs, breast implants and Botox injections.
If the bill becomes law, the tax could start as soon as January and raise an estimated $5 billion over the next decade to pay for the healthcare overhaul.
Are there differences in the way the House and Senate bills treat abortion coverage?
Both attempt to prevent federal funds from being used to pay for abortions, but the Senate language is less sweeping than the amendment adopted by the House.
The House bill expressly prohibits insurers from offering abortion coverage to anyone who receives federal subsidies, and prohibits the government-run insurer -- the "public option" -- from offering abortion coverage.
The Senate bill requires insurers, whether public or private, to segregate federal money from premium revenues in separate accounts to ensure that only private funds are used to cover abortions.
It is likely that Republicans and moderate Democrats will use the Senate floor debate to push for language that more closely resembles the House bill's.
If the Senate bill is estimated to cost $848 billion over the next decade, how can Democrats say it will cut the federal budget deficit by $130 billion?
The Congressional Budget Office says that the government will take in more in revenues from taxes and fees -- and save money by trimming the fat out of Medicare -- than it will spend extending health coverage to more Americans.
Under the Senate plan, a tax on high-cost insurance plans is expected to generate about $150 billion over the next decade. Fees on drug companies, medical device makers and insurers are expected to bring in about $100 billion. The bill also raises the payroll tax on high-income workers who receive Medicare.
At the same time, it projects extracting about $436 billion in cost savings in Medicare over the next 10 years, mainly by changing the way doctors and hospitals are paid.
Does that mean my Medicare benefits will be slashed?
Payments would be reduced to Medicare Advantage plans, a popular private alternative to standard Medicare.
The bill also would establish a commission that would be charged with finding other sources of savings.
The Congressional Budget Office says it is likely that the commission will focus on reducing payments for benefits that are not required under Medicare but that are often offered by Medicare Advantage plans.
What about the tax on cosmetic surgery?
The Senate bill imposes a 5% tax on elective cosmetic procedures or surgeries. It would apply if the procedure is "not necessary to ameliorate a deformity arising from, or directly related to, a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from an accident or trauma, or disfiguring disease." That likely includes such procedures as nose jobs, breast implants and Botox injections.
If the bill becomes law, the tax could start as soon as January and raise an estimated $5 billion over the next decade to pay for the healthcare overhaul.
Are there differences in the way the House and Senate bills treat abortion coverage?
Both attempt to prevent federal funds from being used to pay for abortions, but the Senate language is less sweeping than the amendment adopted by the House.
The House bill expressly prohibits insurers from offering abortion coverage to anyone who receives federal subsidies, and prohibits the government-run insurer -- the "public option" -- from offering abortion coverage.
The Senate bill requires insurers, whether public or private, to segregate federal money from premium revenues in separate accounts to ensure that only private funds are used to cover abortions.
It is likely that Republicans and moderate Democrats will use the Senate floor debate to push for language that more closely resembles the House bill's.
Australia issues "catastrophic" alerts as fires rage
SYDNEY: "Catastrophic" alerts have been issued in Australia after record-breaking temperatures and wild lightning storms sparked more than 100 fires across the country, officials said Saturday.The unseasonably hot and dry weather combined with strong winds have led to blazes breaking out in the country's south eastern states.
In New South Wales (NSW) a total fire ban - preventing people from doing such things as burning rubbish or having barbecues - was issued, while the Blue Mountains National Park was closed Saturday.
And in Tasmania, Australia's southernmost island state, three homes were razed Friday at Dolphin Sands, a beachside town.
More than 60 fresh blazes were sparked by the lightning storms, which mostly hit New South Wales, while the states of Victoria South Australia were also affected.
"Temperatures have been quite elevated so the fuel is very dry, and add those winds and it doesn't take much for fires to run very, very quickly indeed," a NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) spokesman said.
"Basically it's very hot and very dry... it will be a trying day. It doesn't look like there will be any reprieve until Sunday."
A Catastrophic, or Code Red, alert urging residents to abandon their homes was issued on Friday in New South Wales.
The warning was issued for the first time ever in South Australia on Tuesday, under a new national system developed in response to February's devastating "Black Saturday" wildfires.
Code Red conditions are considered on a par with those experienced ahead of Black Saturday, Australia's worst disaster of modern times, which killed 173 in Victoria and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.
Residents cannot be forcibly evacuated but are strongly advised to leave their property on a Code Red day, which signifies a high risk of death or injury and destruction.
Australia is facing its worst fire danger in four years, with hotter and windier conditions and earlier than normal outbreaks forecast, according to government analysis published this week.
- AFP/yb
WHO says mutation found in H1N1 flu virus in Norway
GENEVA - The World Health Organisation said Friday that a mutation had been found in samples of the H1N1 flu virus taken following the first two deaths from the pandemic in Norway.However, it stressed that the mutation did not appear to cause a more contagious or more dangerous form of A(H1N1) influenza and that some similar cases observed elsewhere had been mild.
"The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has informed WHO of a mutation detected in three H1N1 viruses," the WHO said in a briefing note.
"The viruses were isolated from the first two fatal cases of pandemic influenza in the country and one patient with severe illness," it said, although it added that no further instances were found in tests.
"Norwegian scientists have analysed samples from more than 70 patients with clinical illness and no further instances of this mutation have been detected.
This finding suggests that the mutation is not widespread in the country," the UN health agency explained.
WHO spokesman Gregory Haertl told AFP that the global health watchdog did not believe "that this has any significant impact for the time being."
However, the agency revealed that a similar mutation had been observed in Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico, Ukraine, and the United States, as early as April.
"The mutations appear to occur sporadically and spontaneously. To date, no links between the small number of patients infected with the mutated virus have been found and the mutation does not appear to spread," the statement said
Some of those cases also produced mild symptoms, Haertl noted.
The WHO also underlined that there was no evidence of more infections or more deaths as a result, while the antiviral drugs used to treat severe flu, oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza), were still effective on the mutated virus.
"Studies show that currently available pandemic vaccines confer protection," it added, as mass vaccine campaigns were slowly gaining ground in the northern hemisphere amid signs of public skepticism in several European nations.
Scientists fear that mutations in flu viruses could cause more virulent and deadly pandemic flu. The global health watchdog reiterated a call for close monitoring.
The WHO was still assessing the significance of the latest observation, but it stressed that many such changes in the flu virus do not alter the illness it causes in patients.
"Although further investigation is under way, no evidence currently suggests that these mutations are leading to an unusual increase in the number of H1N1 infections or a greater number of severe or fatal cases," it added.
Norwegian authorities reported the country's first H1N1 flu death on September 3, a 52 year-old Danish truck driver who died just over a week earlier.
On Friday, WHO data showed reported that around 6,750 people had died from H1N1 flu since the virus was first uncovered in Mexico and the United States in April.
That represented an increase of about 500 more than a week ago, as the pandemic took hold in the northern hemisphere during the cold season.
The WHO estimates that some 250,000 to 500,000 people die every year from standard seasonal variants of H1N1 flu.
- AFP /ls
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