[The following article reflects a terrible tragedy. One must consider whether such sacrifice is warranted: I continue to personally be against our presence in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I supported our move against the Al Qaeda in Afghanistan at the onset of our invasion basred on the events of9/11. But so many years later our presence smacks of occupation. Afghanistan has been mis-managed since its’ onset -- thanks to #43 and Darth. We are now fighting the Taliban, not the Al Qaeda. The money spent and wasted in both Iraq and Afghanistan would have gone a long way toward righting some of the ills that currently beset our own country! Perhaps charity should begin at home...
Jim O’Rourke]
time.com
By BOBBY GHOSH / WASHINGTON Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009
U.S. soldiers take position in Khost Province, where it has been reported that at least 8 Americans were killed in a suicide attack.
David Furst / AFP / Getty
Updated
The U.S. intelligence community is reeling from one of the worst days in the CIA’s history: the death of seven employees in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan on Wednesday. In keeping with its practice, the Agency will not comment on the deaths until it has formally informed the families of those killed. But several former CIA officers tell TIME the deaths will cast a pall over the Agency. “People walking into [CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia] will look at that Memorial Wall in a different way today,” one former operations hand. “On a day like this, you want to stop in front of those black stars and bow in silence.” There are currently 90 stars on the CIA’s Memorial Wall at the Agency’s headquarters: each star represents an employee killed in the line of duty. Many of their names remain secret.
Because of the very nature of their work, the death of CIA employees is rarely reported, and it can take years for the Agency to acknowledge them with a star. “We avoid publicity over our tragedies,” says the former operations hand. “The American public doesn’t always know when it happens.” Early reports had the toll at eight but a memo released on Thursday from CIA Director Leon Panetta put the number at seven. The Agency waited until it had informed the families of the victims before confirming the deaths. “Families have been our Agency’s first priority,” Panetta said in his memo. “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.” Read the rest of this entry »
