Enceladus
2003-10-28 21:56:01 UTC
Two CIA Contractors Killed in Afghanistan
1 hour, 59 minutes ago
By JOHN J. LUMPKIN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Two contractors working for the CIA (news - web sites) were
killed in an ambush in Afghanistan (news - web sites), the agency said
Tuesday.
Related Links
. CIA Statement (cia.gov)
William Carlson, 43, of Southern Pines, N.C., and Christopher Glenn Mueller,
32, of San Diego, were "tracking terrorists operating in the region" of
Shkin, a village in eastern Afghanistan, when they were killed Saturday, the
CIA said in a statement.
Both were veterans of military special operations forces, the CIA said.
"William Carlson and Christopher Mueller were defined by dedication and
courage," CIA Director George J. Tenet said in a statement. "Their sacrifice
for the peoples of the United States and Afghanistan must never be
forgotten."
The pair was working for the CIA's Directorate of Operations, which conducts
clandestine intelligence-gathering and covert operations.
The CIA statement says the agency consulted with the dead officers' families
and decided their names could be released without compromising ongoing
operations.
They are the third and fourth CIA operatives that the agency has
acknowledged have been killed in the line of duty since the Sept. 11
attacks.
The first, paramilitary officer Johnny Micheal Spann, was killed during an
uprising of Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners in northern Afghanistan on Nov.
25, 2001.
The second, Helge Boes, died in a training accident in eastern Afghanistan,
on Feb. 5, 2003.
The region Carlson and Mueller were operating in is part of the remote
mountainous region along the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where Osama
bin Laden (news - web sites) is thought to be hiding. It is also a
stronghold for al-Qaida, Taliban and other anti-U.S. fighters.
The agency did not provide particulars on Saturday's ambush or the two
operatives' mission, but it appeared connected to pitched battles in the
same area that were described by Afghan and American military officials.
In one fight, six U.S.-allied Afghan militiamen were wounded in a battle
with 25 fighters. American attack jets and helicopters were summoned, and
"approximately 18 enemy personnel" were killed, according to a statement
from the U.S.-led coalition.
The statement says no coalition personnel were killed, but it is unclear
whether that would include operatives working for the CIA.
Mohammed Ali Jalali, governor of Paktika province, said Tuesday that a
separate battle Saturday in the same province's Gomal district, about two
miles from the Pakistan border, left 10 rebels dead - including four Arabs.
As contractors, Carlson and Mueller were not CIA staff employees. Agency
officials declined to detail the nature of their employment.
The CIA has its own unit that can conduct commando-style covert operations,
called the Special Operations Group. It appears Carlson and Mueller were
functioning in that capacity, but it was unclear how many such contractors
the agency has hired.
Carlson was a veteran of Army special operations forces; Mueller had served
in the Navy's special operations forces, the CIA said.
1 hour, 59 minutes ago
By JOHN J. LUMPKIN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Two contractors working for the CIA (news - web sites) were
killed in an ambush in Afghanistan (news - web sites), the agency said
Tuesday.
Related Links
. CIA Statement (cia.gov)
William Carlson, 43, of Southern Pines, N.C., and Christopher Glenn Mueller,
32, of San Diego, were "tracking terrorists operating in the region" of
Shkin, a village in eastern Afghanistan, when they were killed Saturday, the
CIA said in a statement.
Both were veterans of military special operations forces, the CIA said.
"William Carlson and Christopher Mueller were defined by dedication and
courage," CIA Director George J. Tenet said in a statement. "Their sacrifice
for the peoples of the United States and Afghanistan must never be
forgotten."
The pair was working for the CIA's Directorate of Operations, which conducts
clandestine intelligence-gathering and covert operations.
The CIA statement says the agency consulted with the dead officers' families
and decided their names could be released without compromising ongoing
operations.
They are the third and fourth CIA operatives that the agency has
acknowledged have been killed in the line of duty since the Sept. 11
attacks.
The first, paramilitary officer Johnny Micheal Spann, was killed during an
uprising of Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners in northern Afghanistan on Nov.
25, 2001.
The second, Helge Boes, died in a training accident in eastern Afghanistan,
on Feb. 5, 2003.
The region Carlson and Mueller were operating in is part of the remote
mountainous region along the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where Osama
bin Laden (news - web sites) is thought to be hiding. It is also a
stronghold for al-Qaida, Taliban and other anti-U.S. fighters.
The agency did not provide particulars on Saturday's ambush or the two
operatives' mission, but it appeared connected to pitched battles in the
same area that were described by Afghan and American military officials.
In one fight, six U.S.-allied Afghan militiamen were wounded in a battle
with 25 fighters. American attack jets and helicopters were summoned, and
"approximately 18 enemy personnel" were killed, according to a statement
from the U.S.-led coalition.
The statement says no coalition personnel were killed, but it is unclear
whether that would include operatives working for the CIA.
Mohammed Ali Jalali, governor of Paktika province, said Tuesday that a
separate battle Saturday in the same province's Gomal district, about two
miles from the Pakistan border, left 10 rebels dead - including four Arabs.
As contractors, Carlson and Mueller were not CIA staff employees. Agency
officials declined to detail the nature of their employment.
The CIA has its own unit that can conduct commando-style covert operations,
called the Special Operations Group. It appears Carlson and Mueller were
functioning in that capacity, but it was unclear how many such contractors
the agency has hired.
Carlson was a veteran of Army special operations forces; Mueller had served
in the Navy's special operations forces, the CIA said.