Advertisement

Concerns in US military as CIA plans to shut spy bases in Afghanistan

Decision to close intelligence outposts strains relations with US military, which fears an increase in attacks by insurgents as troops pull out

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP

The CIA has made plans to close its network of secret bases in Afghanistan and pull its personnel back to Kabul this summer.

Advertisement

It is an unexpectedly abrupt withdrawal that the US military fears will deprive it of vital intelligence while thousands of American troops remain in the country, officials said.

CIA director John Brennan informed military commanders in March that his agency would start to shut down Afghan operations outside Kabul, the capital.

It will involve removing CIA clandestine officers and analysts as well as National Security Agency specialists responsible for intercepting insurgents' communications, which have been a rich source of daily intelligence, the officials said.

Pentagon officials warn that the CIA drawdown is coming at a time when insurgent attacks normally intensify, after a winter lull. As a result, the plan has strained relations between the agency and military commanders in Kabul, the officials said.
Advertisement

"They are beginning their own retrograde and they kind of sprung it on the military, which is raising concern," said a senior military official.

Advertisement