White House accidentally leaks CIA Kabul station chief's name

WASHINGTON, May 26 (UPI) -- The White House accidentally leaked the name of the Central Intelligence Agency's chief of station in Kabul over the weekend.

The leak occurred during President Barack Obama's surprise visit to Afghanistan on Sunday.

The White House press office inadvertently included the CIA senior officer's name on a list of 15 senior U.S. officials participating in a military briefing for Obama at Bagram Airfield. The list had been compiled by U.S. military officials for the White House press office to make available to the press corps. The CIA officer was identified in the initial list as "Chief of Station."

That initial list was included in a "pool report" -- a summary of the event intended for distribution to other news organizations -- filed by Washington Post White House bureau chief Scott Wilson. Press officials circulated Wilson's pool report to more than 6,000 recipients.

After filing the pool report, Wilson recognized the unusual addition of the named COS on the list and followed-up with White House press officials in Afghanistan. At first, the White House declined to admit there was an issue because the list had been provided by U.S. military officials. But then, the White House "scrambled" to release an updated list that no longer included the name of the CIA station chief.

UPI will not publish the identity of the CIA officer because that individual remains under cover.