Weekend Kandahar Bombing Killed CIA Officer, Army Intel Analyst

Spies Were Initially Reported as Furniture Movers

Initially reported in the New York Times as “coalition members” who were only there to deliver furniture, the two Americans slain in the Saturday attack on the Kandahar headquarters of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) have been revealed to be a CIA officer and an Army intelligence analyst.

The two were slain, along with several Afghan NDS agents when a man dressed in an NDS uniform detonated a suicide vest in the office. The attack was initially termed “insider,” but Afghan officials say that the attacker wasn’t actually an NDS employee but just stole the uniform to sneak in.

The military identified the slain analyst as Specialist Brittany Gordon, after initial reports said she died in an IED attack. The military identified the other victim as a “civilian” but it was later revealed by multiple officials he was CIA.

The CIA has refused to comment on the incident, and in many cases never acknowledges slain agents publicly. Whether insider attack or just a guy who snuck in, the ability to plant an attacked in the high security building raises more concerns about security.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.