Suicide bomber who attacked CIA post in Afghanistan was trusted Jordanian informant - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Former US Government officials have revealed that the suicide bomber, who killed seven CIA officers in Afghanistan last week, was a Jordanian informant who lured the officers into a trap by promising crucial information about Al-Qaeda. The bomber, identified as Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, was standing outside an agency building when he exploded a bomb hidden under his clothes, killing seven Americans and injuring six others. According to two former senior officials, Balawi was recruited to infiltrate Al-Qaeda's top leadership and had gained the trust of his CIA and Jordanian handlers with a stream of useful intelligence leads. "His track record as an informant apparently allowed him to enter a key CIA post without a thorough search," The Washington Post quoted sources, as saying. The officials also said that the U.S. and Jordanian officials had come to regard Balawi as trustworthy, despite a history of support for Islamist extremism. They also said that Balawi had had provided "actionable intelligence" over several weeks of undercover work along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Jordan is a key ally in the U.S. fight against Al-Qaeda, and its intelligence operatives have been integrated into missions in the Middle East and beyond.