Summary
Overview
This episode examines the devastating 2009 Camp Chapman bombing in Afghanistan, where seven CIA officers were killed by a suicide bomber working for al-Qaeda. The story begins by introducing Humam Khalil al-Balawi, a Jordanian doctor who maintained a bloodthirsty online persona as jihadist blogger 'Abu Dujana Al-Khorasani.' The episode explores how U.S. and Jordanian intelligence services discovered his identity, arrested and interrogated him, and believed they had turned him into a cooperative asset - setting the stage for one of the CIA's darkest days.
The CIA's Darkest Day
The bombing at Camp Chapman on December 31, 2009, would become the deadliest attack on the CIA during the War on Terror, killing seven agency officers. It represented the only instance of al-Qaeda successfully penetrating the CIA and the only case in agency history of an asset killing their case officer. The tragedy reveals critical lessons about running human assets, the dangers of falling in love with a promising case, and the unique risks of counterterrorism operations where mistakes prove fatal rather than merely embarrassing.
- Seven CIA officers killed at Camp Chapman base in Khost, Afghanistan on December 31, 2009
- Deadliest day for CIA since 1983 Beirut embassy bombing; deadliest attack during War on Terror
- Only instance ever of al-Qaeda penetrating the CIA and only case of an asset killing their case officer
- Story demonstrates the peril of the Moscow rule: 'don't fall in love with your agent' - must constantly vet sources
" Those who fell yesterday were far from home and close to the enemy, doing the hard work that must be done to protect our country from terrorism. We owe them our deepest gratitude and we pledge to them and their families that we will never cease fighting for the cause to which they dedicated their lives, a safer America. "
Setting the Stage: The War on Terror in 2009
In early 2009, the CIA was running its most aggressive campaign against al-Qaeda through predator drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas. While these strikes were effective at targeting mid-level operatives, the CIA had virtually no intelligence on al-Qaeda's top leadership, including Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. President Obama's administration was briefed that despite al-Qaeda being the top priority, the agency had 'nothing' on the senior leaders. This desperate situation set the stage for what would become a tragic pursuit of any potential lead.
- CIA running most lethal campaign ever with predator drones over Pakistan tribal areas targeting al-Qaeda
- Al-Qaeda had reconstituted itself in Pakistan by 2007, reopening training camps and raising the threat level
- Multiple al-Qaeda plots were being disrupted in mid-2000s, including 2005 London bombings and 2006 liquid bomb plot
- The trail for bin Laden and al-Zawahiri was completely cold - CIA briefed leadership they had 'nothing'
" When very senior leaders at the CIA in early 2009 are having these initial counterterrorism briefings with new director Leon Panetta, with President Obama, with his National Security Council, the story on the hunt for Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri is basically we have nothing. Your big priority, we've got squat. "
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