The White House has inadvertently revealed the name of the top CIA official in Afghanistan.
The officer's name, which included identifying him as "chief of station," was placed by U.S. Embassy staff on a list of officials U.S. President Barack Obama was due to meet with during his surprise visit to Bagram airbase outside Kabul on May 25.
The list was sent by e-mail to reporters traveling with Obama, and was included in a "pool report" shared with some 6,000 recipients.
When the mistake was recognized, the White House sent out a new list without the CIA official's name.
"The Washington Post" was the first to report the story and said it was not clear if the CIA would be forced to remove the officer from Afghanistan.
The paper, as well as several major news outlets, chose not to reveal the official's name to protect his safety.
The officer's name, which included identifying him as "chief of station," was placed by U.S. Embassy staff on a list of officials U.S. President Barack Obama was due to meet with during his surprise visit to Bagram airbase outside Kabul on May 25.
The list was sent by e-mail to reporters traveling with Obama, and was included in a "pool report" shared with some 6,000 recipients.
When the mistake was recognized, the White House sent out a new list without the CIA official's name.
"The Washington Post" was the first to report the story and said it was not clear if the CIA would be forced to remove the officer from Afghanistan.
The paper, as well as several major news outlets, chose not to reveal the official's name to protect his safety.
