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Suicide attack mastermind Haqqani was a CIA ally in the 1980s | It has now been shockingly admitted that the suicide bombing that killed seven CIA employees in eastern Afghanistan this week was masterminded by warlord and one-time key CIA ally Jalaluddin Haqqani. In the 1980s, Texas politician Charlie Wilson described Haqqani as "goodness personified", and now, he is believed to
have ordered the attack from his hideout in Pakistan. His suspected role in the
deadliest incident for CIA forces in 25 years highlights both the shifting nature
of alliances forged by Western involvement in the region, and the difficulty of
telling friend from foe in today's conflict. The Pakistani Taliban yesterday made
the astonishing claim that it was behind the bombing in a bid to harm the CIA's
ability to launch missile strikes inside Pakistan. But Pentagon officials quoted
by The New York Times suggested that the suicide bombing in Khost Province was
a revenge strike for counter-insurgency operations led by the CIA against the
so-called Haqqani network. ] During the 1980s, Mr Haqqani was a respected commander
battling, with Western support, against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. After
they withdrew, he became a member of the US-approved coalition that formed the
post-occupation government. Haqqani received thousands of dollars in financial
support, arms shipments and provided the US with valuable intelligence. But after
the Taliban seized power, he became more hostile to the West. After 9/11, he forged
links with Osama bin Laden, was named number three on the hit-list of America's
most wanted. Wilson retained a fondness for him. Last year, he said: "I'd love
to see him. I'd try to persuade him the Taliban was a force for destruction -
which he definitely wasn't."
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