New York Times: Civilian Deaths Raise Questions About C.I.A.-Trained Forces in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — A series of home raids by C.I.A.-trained Afghan counterterrorism forces in the last month resulted in the deaths of at least six innocent civilians, according to Afghan government officials, reviving an issue that has been a chronic source of tension between Afghanistan and the United States.
The deaths happened over the course of three raids in the restive eastern province of Khost, the officials said, including a Nov. 20 episode in which a husband and wife were killed with two American advisers present. The raids were conducted by the Khost Protection Force, one of the regional units known as counterterrorism pursuit teams, set up by the C.I.A. to fight the Taliban, the Haqqani network and Al Qaeda.
The C.I.A. has trained thousands of Afghan forces for such missions — around 3,500 in the Khost Protection Force alone. But from the start, some senior Afghan officials have considered them a problem, accused of human rights abuses and seen as largely unaccountable.
Update #1: CIA-funded Afghan militia accused of killing civilians -- The Telegraph
Update #2: CIA runs shadow war with Afghan militia implicated in civilian killings -- Washington Post
WNU Editor: The focus of this article is on Khost region .... but I suspect that such CIA operations are not only happening in this region, but are probably also being implemented and/or planned for other trouble spots.
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