Investigation Into Suicide Bombing on U.S. Base Continues; Car Bomb Kills 75 in Pakistani Village
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. Happening now, an urgent investigation into how a suicide bomber managed to get inside a U.S. base surrounded by barricades and barbed wire. Was it a double agent who dealt such a devastating blow to the CIA in Afghanistan? The blast was felt 11 miles away -- a suicide car bomber turns a volleyball court into a killing ground. At least 75 people are dead in a Pakistani village. And he is known as a rock star for his radical postings on the Internet. Is this American-born Muslim cleric connected to the alleged bomber in the Christmas Day airliner plot? Wolf Blitzer is off today. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. And you're in THE SITUATION ROOM. US intelligence officials may speak about revenge, but right now, there is still shock over the death of seven CIA officers in the suicide bombing at a base in Afghanistan. And the urgent question, of course, how did the attacker penetrate the defenses? Our CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence, he is joining us now -- Chris, what do we know today about this and how this happened?</s>CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that the U.S. intelligence community has launched an intense investigation, trying to figure out how security failed so completely. This was not a military base, but we're getting some new information about why it may have been targeted.</s>LAWRENCE:  (voice-over): A U.S. official tells CNN the main purpose of a CIA base like this is to recruit potential informants and plan covert operations like unmanned drones. And that may have made it a target for retaliation. One of the prime suspects in the suicide bombing is the Haqqani network, based across the border in Pakistan, where the U.S. has dramatically increased its drone attacks. The Haqqanis, led by Siraj Haqqani, are aligned with the Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda and have a strong presence in Khost. Some reports say the bomber was being recruited as a potential informant. But that doesn't explain the security failure.</s>KEN ROBINSON, FORMER INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: There should be multiple rings of security in multiple locations and a separation between those who are working in the clandestine service and those who are being brought on to be interviewed.</s>LAWRENCE: Ken Robinson is a former Special Forces and CIA officer. He says a potential informant coming on the base is normally checked head to toe and someone would supervise them the entire time.</s>ROBINSON: These are the questions that will be answered in the next 24 to 48 hours, as to what specifically broke down or whether this person had already been vetted and was already trusted and was already a member of the Afghan National Army.</s>LAWRENCE: Now, the Afghan defense ministry says none of its forces were involved in this attack. But one Taliban group says it did convince an Afghan National Army soldier to put on that suicide vest and blow himself up. And yet another Taliban group, this one based in Pakistan, says it was responsible, saying it turned a CIA operative.</s>MALVEAUX: And, Chris, you've been talking to a lot of people today. How is the CIA responding to this attack? It must be a very difficult at the time for this organization and for this community.</s>LAWRENCE: Yes. It's not only a devastating personal loss for the families, but the U.S. also loses their expertise in that part of the region. But one CIA -- one intelligence official told me they are galvanized. They're devastated by the loss, but they are galvanized. In fact, he said there are some very bad people who are going to have a very bad day and these people will be avenged. So a real galvanized spirit among some of the intelligence community now.</s>MALVEAUX: OK. Thank you very much, Chris.</s>LAWRENCE: Yes.</s>MALVEAUX: A suicide bomber turns a volleyball game into a bloodbath. At least 75 people are dead in a village in Northwestern Pakistan. CNN's Arwa Damon -- she has the latest from Islamabad -- Arwa, what do we know?</s>ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, the attack happened during a volleyball game. We hear that it's the favorite sport in this area in Pakistan. And some 200 people had been gathered for an evening match when a suicide car bomber drove into the middle of the spectators and detonated, the attack happening in a residential neighborhoods. And police officials are saying that they fear the death toll will only continue to rise because the attack happened in the evening and then it was getting dark and it's become very difficult to ascertain exactly how many people may have died because of the force of the explosion. Local leaders are saying that they firmly believe that this devastating attack was in retaliation for an earlier military operation that took place in October. It was largely supported by residents in this area and they said that they had begun receiving threats from the militants. Now, Pakistan has been fighting its own homegrown terrorist networks for quite some time. And it has largely been the civilians that have been bearing the brunt of the violence. When we speak to many Pakistanis these days, they are quite simply in shock at the state of their country -- Suzanne.</s>MALVEAUX: A devastating story. Thank you, Arwa. Well, fresh fallout from that thwarted airplane incident just one week ago today -- details of new developments in Washington, London and beyond. Also, we are learning more about the alleged contact between the suspect and a radical American-born Islamic cleric urging jihad on the Internet. Plus, the high stakes showdown between Washington and Tehran over the Iranian nuclear program -- a critical deadline arrives. What happens next?