CIA bombing prompts ‘change’ in US security

US military officials say the country is changing security procedures after an attack against a US military base in Afghanistan killed seven CIA employees.

On December 30, a bombing of the CIA post at Camp Chapman in the Afghan province of Khost left at least seven employees dead.

In response, US military officials said that new security procedures would be put in place.

“Suffice it to say that after any serious incident we evaluate the circumstances, think through the threat implications given our current practices and disseminate guidance to the field if adjustments are necessary,” CNN quoted a senior military official as saying.

The official, however, did not elaborate further on the specifics of new procedures which would be adopted. “We don’t broadcast the specific changes we’ve made to security postures or our intelligence procedures.”

According to another US military official, the security guidance is intended to adjust procedures on a large scale.

“We don’t want just the military intelligence guys looking out for specific things. We need MPs and ground forces to [also] be aware,” the official said.

While the security guidance is meant to be disseminated on a large scale, the official said, more specific guidance on intelligence operations is confined to a much more restricted distribution.

The incident has added to growing pressure on President Barack Obama to reshape the top ”US intelligence” team.

“There’s [little connection] between [the] intensity of [President Obama’s] rhetoric and what he proposes… If the situation is as bad as the President says it was… someone will have to go,” Republican congressman Peter King said Wednesday.

“I don’t think they (the president and his security agency chiefs) learned the lessons from this,” he added.

Ex-Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff said Wednesday security breakdowns lay with “the intelligence fusion process and the people responsible for seizing on the threat information and making sure it was followed through.”

The CIA has vowed to take whatever measures it deems necessary to avenge the deaths of the agents.