The CIA has relied on Lilley, part of a constellation of agency bases across
Afghanistan,
as a hub to train and deploy a well-armed 3,000-member Afghan
paramilitary force collectively known as Counterterrorism Pursuit
Teams. In addition to being used for surveillance, raids and combat
operations in Afghanistan, the teams are crucial to the United States'
secret war in Pakistan, according to current and former U.S. officials.