Gunman opens fire at CIA office in Kabul, killing 1

Gunman opens fire at CIA office in Kabul, killing 1

2011-09-26 17:42:12 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- One American citizen was killed on late Sunday evening when a gunman opened fire at an annex of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul which is believed to be an office belonging to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The shooting happened at around 9 p.m. local time in the Afghan capital of Kabul, but both NATO and U.S. officials have released only few details. Afghan police said they had no details because they have no jurisdiction in the building where the shooting took place.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy confirmed a shooting had taken place and said both the Afghan attacker and a U.S. citizen were killed. "The motivation for the attack is still under investigation," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson added: "We mourn the loss of life in the incident, and express our heartfelt condolences to the families. The Embassy has resumed business operations." In addition to the fatalities, one U.S. citizen was wounded and evacuated to a military hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Several sources in Kabul identified the building where the shooting took place as an office being used by the CIA. It was not clear who the shooter was, but the Washington Post cited a western security official as saying that the Afghan attacker had gained the trust of the CIA and was possibly an informant.

In December 2009, seven CIA officers and consultants were killed when a Jordanian army captain carried out a suicide attack against a secret CIA base in eastern Afghanistan. It was the deadliest attack against the CIA since the 1983 U.S. embassy bombing.

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