Suicide attack on US base in Afghanistan an insider's job

Washington, Dec 31 (ANI): Fears are being raised that someone working with US Forces in Afghanistan was on the side of the Taliban after a suicide bomber was able to bring his explosives on the base, walk up to a group of American civilians and blow himself up.

A bomber wearing an explosive vest entered Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost Province, near Pakistan.

The suicide bomber, who is said to be a high-ranking officer in Afghanistan Army, killed eight US CIA employees.

The outpost is located in the middle of a notorious stronghold for Afghan insurgents near the border with Pakistan, CBS News reports.

A Taliban spokesman said one of its members who was working for the Afghan army carried out the attack.

Afghan soldiers and civilians are present at almost every American outpost since one of the chief principals of the US strategy is to partner with the Afghans.

According to Christine Fair of Georgetown University, some of them may actually be working for the Taliban.

"They have really become a vehicle of infiltration for the Taliban. This is most certainly a vulnerability in our strategy going forward in trying to hand over security to the Afghans if we don't really have a way of figuring out who we can trust," Fair said.

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the military post was used by the CIA as an operations and surveillance centre.

Last October, eight US soldiers were killed when insurgents very nearly overran an outpost. (ANI)