Forward Operating Base Chapman

For the 2009 suicide attack on the CIA facility, see Camp Chapman attack.
FOB Chapman
Khost province in Afghanistan
U.S. Army Soldiers and contractors pose for a photograph at FOB Chapman in July 2002
FOB Ghazni is located in Afghanistan
FOB Ghazni
FOB Ghazni
Shown within Afghanistan
Coordinates33°20′19.5″N 69°57′21.4″E / 33.338750°N 69.955944°E / 33.338750; 69.955944
TypeForward operating base
Site information
OwnerInternational Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
OperatorUnited States Armed Forces
Central Intelligence Agency
Site history
Built2001 (2001)
In use2001-2013 (2013)

Forward Operating Base Chapman, also known as Camp Chapman, was a United States Armed Forces Forward Operating Base located at the site of a former Afghan Army installation and was situated in Khost province, Afghanistan, on an airstrip 2 miles east of Khost.

The site was also used by the Central Intelligence Agency and was near Forward Operating Base Salerno, a large military base formerly used by U.S. special operations forces.[1][2] The base was named for Sergeant First Class Nathan Chapman, the first U.S. soldier killed by enemy fire during the Afghanistan war, in 2002.[2][3][4][5] Chapman was killed while fighting alongside the CIA.[4]

History

A U.S. Army soldier from the 82nd Airborne Division looks down his M4 carbine's sights outside Camp Chapman in 2002.

The CIA's base in Khost was set up at the beginning of the U.S.-led offensive against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in 2001, and began as an improvised center for operations.[6] A military base at the beginning, it was later transformed into a CIA base, a U.S. official said.[7] According to a U.S. military source, Forward Operating Base Chapman was also used as a base for the Khost Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), a military-led development group.[8] According to an individual who was in the PRT and took part in the relocation; this team left in 2011 and moved to FOB Salerno.[9][10] In recent years, the base, one of the most secretive and highly guarded locations in Afghanistan, evolved into a major counterterrorism hub of the CIA's paramilitary Special Activities Division, used for joint operation with CIA, military special operations forces and Afghan allies, and had a housing compound for U.S. intelligence officers.[2][6][11][12]

On Wednesday, December 30, 2009, the Camp Chapman attack was executed by suicide bomber Humam Khalil al-Balawi who was a Jordanian double agent loyal to al-Qaeda-linked Islamist extremists. Seven people employed by or affiliated with the CIA, including the chief of the base, Jennifer Lynn Matthews[13] as well as a Jordanian intelligence officer, died in the attack. It remains the second-deadliest incident ever for the CIA after the 1983 United States embassy bombing. Almost three years later, on December 26, 2012, a suicide bomber, possibly with ties to the Afghan Taliban (who claimed responsibility via a spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claiming those who served American forces at the base were the target) and/or the Haqqani network, killed three Afghans (their status was not specified) who were outside the perimeter of the base, which is near a military airport.[14]

U.S. bases in Khost, in particular Camp Salerno, have frequently been targeted by insurgents. In most cases, however, suicide attackers do not succeed in getting past the main entrance of a base.[15] According to U.S. officials, Forward Operating Base Chapman appears to have implemented less stringent security measures than other U.S. military bases, aiming at establishing trust with informants.[16] Subjecting informants to mistrust and excessive suspicion would reduce the amount of information received from them.[17]

In 2021, in the lead-up to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban twice targeted the base. In the first attack rockets landed nearby wounding seven civilians. During the second attack a water tower on the base was hit, but no U.S. personnel were hit.[18]

References

  1. ^ Oppel, Richard A.; Mazzetti, Mark; Mekhennet, Souad (January 4, 2010). "Behind Afghan Bombing, an Agent With Many Loyalties". New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Warrick, Joby; Constable, Pamela (January 1, 2010). "CIA base attacked in Afghanistan supported airstrikes against al-Qaeda, Taliban". Washington Post. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  3. ^ Youssef, Nancy A. (December 31, 2009). "Taliban infiltrator who killed 7 from CIA wore Afghan uniform". McClatchy. Archived from the original on January 4, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
  4. ^ a b Meek, James Gordon (January 1, 2010). "Suicide bombing at CIA camp in Afghanistan likely revenge attack by Taliban warlord – a former ally". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  5. ^ Mazzetti, Mark (December 31, 2009). "C.I.A. Takes On Bigger and Riskier Role on Front Lines". New York Times. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  6. ^ a b Gorman, Siobhan (January 1, 2010). "Suicide Bombing in Afghanistan Devastates Critical Hub for CIA Activities". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  7. ^ Shah, Amir (December 31, 2009). "CIA Director: 7 CIA Workers Killed In Afghanistan". Associated Press. Retrieved January 1, 2010. [dead link‍]
  8. ^ Starkey, Jerome (January 1, 2001). "Afghan suicide bomber kills seven CIA agents after attacking base". The Times. Archived from the original on April 16, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
  9. ^ "Source: 2 killed in Afghanistan bombing were security contractors". CNN. December 31, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  10. ^ Gopal, Anand (January 2, 2010). "Taliban: CIA Attack Was Retaliation for Drone Strikes". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  11. ^ Sengupta, Kim (January 1, 2010). "Suicide attack inflicts worst death toll on CIA in 25 years". The Independent. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  12. ^ Smith, Adèle (January 1, 2010). "La CIA perd sept espions sur une base secrète". Le Figaro. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  13. ^ Who was who in the hunt for bin Laden, The Week, April 30, 2013
  14. ^ "World News".
  15. ^ Rubin, Alissa J.; Mazzetti, Mark (December 31, 2009). "Afghan Base Hit by Attack Has Pivotal Role in Conflict". New York Times. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  16. ^ Gorman, Siobhan; Dreazen, Yochi J. (January 2, 2010). "Killings Rock Afghan Strategy". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  17. ^ Rajghatta, Chidanand (January 3, 2010). "Pak tribesman killed 7 CIA agents and trust". The Times of India. Archived from the original on December 17, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  18. ^ Starr, Barbara; Cohen, Zachary; Atwood, Kylie; Liptak, Kevin (8 April 2021). "Taliban attack on covert US base in Afghanistan complicates Biden withdrawal decision". CNN. Retrieved 10 July 2021.