The name of a top CIA officer has accidentally been revealed by the White House following Barack Obama’s visit to Afghanistan.

The name of the CIA’s top officer in Afghanistan was included in a press release listing senior officials due to meet the president, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

It is believed that the list of names was sent to up to 6,000 journalists.

The official was identified as “chief of station” in Kabul, and was named as being amongst those at a briefing during Obama’s trip to Bagram Air Base, according to a report by the New York Post.

A revised list was issued by the White House without the CIA official’s name after a Washington Post reporter notified them of the mistake.

The Washington Post reported that White House Bureau chief, Scott Wilson, copied the original list from an email, including it in a report sent to over 6,000 recipients in a press pool.

The station chief, who manages all CIA operations in the country, is only known by their true name to top officials and other intelligence agencies, according to ABC News.

The Obama administration has requested that the officer’s name be withheld, warning that his life could be at risk if his name was circulated.

The president arrived at Bagram Air Field on Saturday in a surprise visit to coincide with the United States’ Memorial Day weekend.