Trump was informed that China has demanded payment of money to non-state actors for attacking US troops in Afghanistan


The intelligence released by the Trump administration was provided to the president on December 17 in his daily brief, the official said. The official said his national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, discussed the information with the president the same day.

The information of this alleged intelligence is thus far unchecked. The scenario is reminiscent of reports earlier this year that Russia offered Afghan terrorists money to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. That information also appeared in the president’s intelligence briefing, although it was later revealed that the information went unnoticed for weeks.

Trump has yet to publicly call on Russia on the issue.

It is unclear whether President-elect Joe Biden has seen the intelligence, since he would have had access to the same intelligence since receiving the President’s daily brief.

Biden’s transition official told CNN that while he would not speak to the alleged intelligence report, or the motive behind the presentation of what is said to be “unorganized information,” there is no major concern other than the safety of our “presidential-elected” members. Will consider.

Referring to the controversial transition process, the official added, “Our teams will try to learn as much as we can about these allegations from the outgoing administration, and this is another example of why we need full cooperation, including the Department of Defense.” Between incoming Biden and outgoing Trump defense officials.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to a European intelligence official, CNN reported in June that Russian intelligence officials had recently offered money to Taliban militants in Afghanistan for the military intelligence agency GRU if they were there. Or if the UK kills soldiers, the European intelligence official said. The official told CNN that the incentives given by the Russians in their assessment were to the detriment of the coalition, which would be the deaths or injuries of service members. The official did not elaborate on the date of the casualties, their number or nationality, or the number of casualties.
A U.S. official familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN at the time that there was intelligence that the money had been transferred, but it was not clear what the intelligence in question was or who the representatives of the Russian unit were in contact with – top leaders or coalition forces. Commander of located field units.
U.S. intelligence concluded months ago that Russian military intelligence was enriching amid peace talks, and Trump was briefed on the intelligence findings and the White House National Security Council convened a meeting about it in late March, the New York Times reported. Officials were briefed on the matter.
Trump refused to receive a briefing on intelligence after the news broke in June. He tweeted that there had been “not many attacks” on US troops by Taliban fighters, citing evidence that the reported intelligence could be “foggy” – a step further in an earlier White House statement that did not include Press Secretary Kyle McKinney. Was. The report denied the allegations, but said in a statement that Trump and Vice President Mike Pence “were not informed of the alleged Russian bounty intelligence.”
U.S. There were discussions in the intelligence community until February and March, and a discussion between top military commanders about Russian operations for intelligence assessment and exactly what was happening, a U.S. official told CNN in June. The source also said that some efforts were made to rescue US forces due to intelligence.

The news comes as China offers cash for attacks on US forces as China waits to see if Biden will accept Trump’s more punitive policies toward the nation or whether Washington will re-establish ties between Washington and Beijing.

Diplomacy during the Obama-Biden administration was guided by cooperation efforts rather than conflict with China. But there is evidence that Biden’s views have changed with the changing mood in Washington over the past few years, where Beijing is seen not as a potential ally of the United States, but as its primary rival.

Biden’s campaign website pushes technology companies to “ease repression in China” and “promise foreign policy” to pressure China, the world’s largest carbon emitter – to stop subsidizing coal exports and outsourcing its pollution to other countries. “

“In order to win the race for the future against China or anyone else, we must sharpen our innovative edge in the face of abusive economic practices and unify the economic power of democracies around the world,” he said.

In an announcement of the Biden campaign in June, Trump accused it of being “played” by China. And during a Democratic primary in February, Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “thug” and said Beijing had to “follow the rules.”

This story has been updated with additional background information.

CNN’s Ben Westcott, Paul LeBlanc, Nick Payton W, Lush, Veronica Stracclusi, Radina Gigova, Barbara Starrer, Dewan Cole and Sarah Westwood contributed to the report.

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