IA chief confirms seven officers killed by Afghan bomb

Seven CIA agents were killed in a bomb attack in Afghanistan, the US agency's director, Leon Panetta, has confirmed.

The dead include a mother of three who was the head of the CIA's base in Khost Province, near Pakistan, the Associated Press news agency reports.

The Taliban said one of their members working for the Afghan army and wearing an explosive vest had carried it out.

The attack was the worst against US intelligence officials since the US embassy in Beirut was bombed in 1983.

It has raised questions about the coalition's ability to protect itself against infiltrators, analysts say.

Quoting former CIA officials, AP said the base chief would have led intelligence-gathering operations in Khost, a hotbed of Taliban activity due to its proximity to Pakistan's lawless tribal region.

A total of 90 CIA employees have been honoured for their deaths in the agency's service since its inception in 1947, according to the Washington Post newspaper.

'Close to the enemy'

Paying tribute to the fallen, Mr Panetta said six other agents were injured in Wednesday's attack at Forward Operating Base Chapman.