US Soldier Killed in Afghanistan Was Part of Secret CIA Program

Army Ranger was part of active program to capture of kill militants

On July 12, Army Ranger Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Celiz died of wounds sustained in small arms fire during a military operation in Afghanistan’s Paktiya Province. Former soldiers familiar with the situation say this operation was actually part of a secret CIA program.

The program, code name Omega, is an active operation by the CIA to try to kill or capture top militants in Afghanistan. To do so, they have enlisted Army Rangers to take part in operations around the program.

The CIA has been active in Afghanistan throughout the 17+ year US occupation. The past year of escalation has seen CIA presence grow substantially. The CIA declined comment on Sgt. Celiz, and the Pentagon does not officially admit to the CIA program existing.

US Army Special Operations Command simply refused to comment on the matter, saying that there are some operations that “due to classification, we do not discuss.” The Army Rangers have often been reported to have loaned personnel to CIA programs in Afghanistan.

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.