Posted on 06/26/2020 2:28:16 PM PDT by FewsOrange
American intelligence officials have concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan — including targeting American troops — amid the peace talks to end the long-running war there, according to officials briefed on the matter.
The United States concluded months ago that the Russian unit, which has been linked to assassination attempts and other covert operations in Europe intended to destabilize the West or take revenge on turncoats, had covertly offered rewards for successful attacks last year.
Islamist militants, or armed criminal elements closely associated with them, are believed to have collected some bounty money, the officials said. Twenty Americans were killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2019, but it was not clear which killings were under suspicion.
The intelligence finding was briefed to President Trump, and the White House’s National Security Council discussed the problem at an interagency meeting in late March, the officials said. Officials developed a menu of potential options — starting with making a diplomatic complaint to Moscow and a demand that it stop, along with an escalating series of sanctions and other possible responses, but the White House has yet to authorize any step, the officials said. An operation to incentivize the killing of American and other NATO troops would be a significant and provocative escalation of what American and Afghan officials have said is Russian support for the Taliban, and it would be the first time the Russian spy unit was known to have orchestrated attacks on Western troops.
... The Kremlin had not been made aware of the accusations, said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. “If someone makes them, we’ll respond,” Mr. Peskov said. A Taliban spokesman did not respond to messages seeking comment.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
From history class at Yale, right?
Well I know of two former Mujahdeen fighters that skinned Russians alive. Saw photos
LOL
Are you paid to be that stupid or just cursed with stupidity?
Gots to remember.
When Russia was in afghanistan, we sent the rebels Hand held anti aircraft missles to take down their helicopter gunships.
Putie pooh is still mad about that
Also, with the collapse on fuel prices he is incapeable of rearming his military.
Also Poland is about to gain a few thousand American military troops.
I don’t believe anything published by the NeoCon/NeoLib New York Slimes.
Our good ole friend, Putin.
Nothing earth-shattering about his behavior, we know what king of a leader he is and what kind of a revelation he runs.
The penalty for anybody lying or working on his behalf stateside, just got considerably higher however.
Could be true. Didn’t we support the Afgans when the USSR invaded them? I think I’d blame Bush for getting us involved in Afganistan before I’d think of blaming Russia for opposing us there.
Russia sees the writing on the wall in Afghanistan. Without the US military presence to prop them up, the Afghan government is too weak to defeat the Taliban. Having a working relationship with the eventual victors of the Afghan civil war makes strategic sense for Russia. The Taliban are useful allies in the fight against ISIS.
I think it is much more likely that the New York Times offered the bounty.
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