“Bounties” were paid by a foreign government, identified to CNN as Iran, to the Haqqani network – a terrorist group led by the Taliban’s second highest ranking leader – for its attack on Bagram Air Base on December 11, who killed two civilians and injured more than 70 others, including four Americans, according to a Pentagon news document verified by CNN.
The name of the foreign government that made these payments remains unclear, but two sources familiar with the intelligence confirmed to CNN that it refers to Iran.
Russia has denied the allegations.
Sophisticated attack rattled officials
The attack on Bagram, which is considered to be the most prominent U.S. military installation in Afghanistan, was highly saber-rattling and ruthless officials working on affairs in Afghanistan because it highlighted the vulnerability of some of the U.S. connections, according to one source involved in the Taliban peace efforts.
Specifically, the Pentagon information document assumed that a suicide bomber improvised explosive device (SVBIED) was used in the attack. Roughly 10 Taliban fighters took part in a farm fire with local security forces after the explosion and were eventually killed by U.S. airstrikes.
That sentiment was also reflected in assessments by U.S. intelligence agents from the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) in the days following the attack, according to documents obtained by CNN.
“Given the nature of the attack and agreed fines,” the December attack likely met the criteria for compensation, the Pentagon information document provided to the Secretary of Defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs or Staff just days after the incident happened, states.
While U.S. intelligence officials acknowledge that the Haqqani Network does not necessarily require payment in exchange for targeting U.S. troops, the internal Pentagon document verified by CNN states that funding is linked to the December 11 attack on Bagram “likely to stimulate future high profile attacks on US and coalition forces. ”
Iran has long been known to use proxies to carry out attacks throughout the region, but in the months following the December bombing of Bagram, U.S. officials were instructed by various agencies to reconcile Tehran’s relationship with the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan. investigate and develop specific response options.
But despite acknowledging that the relationship poses “a major threat to US interests”, National Security Council officials finally recommended in late March that the administration should not take specific steps to address the underlying nexus of Iran-Haqqani Network, because officials concluded that any response was likely to have a negative impact on peace efforts, according to an internal memo obtained by CNN.
NSC officials also determined that the Afghan government’s ability to focus on any issue other than the outbreak of coronavirus was likely to diminish, and therefore limited potential diplomatic options that would typically be available.
While the Trump administration did not take any specific action after closing its internal review of the switch between Iran and the Haqqani Network earlier this year, several officials claimed that the president had taken a strong stance toward Tehran for his dealings with the Taliban.
A current administration official and former senior official with knowledge of the situation told CNN that Iran’s link to the Taliban was cited by U.S. officials as part of the argument for carrying out the strike that tops Iranian general Qasem Soleimani killed in January.
Still, the issue of foreign governments encouraging the Taliban to re-attack US and coalition forces in Afghanistan remains a matter of concern for national security, according to a joint intelligence assessment produced by the CIA, NSA and NCTC just last month. The assessment notes that Iran has reimbursed the Haqqani Network after conducting at least six attacks against US and coalition interests in 2019.
Pentagon spokesman Army May. Rob Lodewick told CNN that “the Department of Defense does not open timelines or talks on internal consultation and intelligence information,” when asked if top officials were informed about intelligence related to Iran’s involvement in specific Taliban attacks, but acknowledged Tehran’s attempts at the peace process to undermine.
“The administration has on several occasions, both in public and in private, demanded that Iran end its spate of malicious and destabilizing behavior in the Middle East and the world. While the United States, its NATO allies and “Coalition partners are working to end 19 years of bloodshed, trying to undermine the imposing influence of Iran on the Afghan peace process and to promote a continuation of violence and instability,” he said.
The Iranian government, the NCTC and the NSC did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Discussions about a reaction went on for about three months
While the working group discussions focused on addressing Iran’s payments to the Haqqani Network continued about three months after the Soleimani strike, some officials involved in the process believed efforts to develop counter-targeting options were hindered by the ongoing peace talks between the US and the Taliban, two sources familiar with the process told CNN.
“The purpose of the concern was the relationship, because it looks like someone who would have deserved pretty compounded action every other year,” a source familiar with the decision-making process told CNN, noting that options such as targeted sanctions or even a military response against the militant group in Afghanistan would otherwise have been on the table.
“The overriding element of all this was the prioritization of the peace agreement with the Taliban and that, even going back to December 2019, was a known priority in terms of what the US response would be to a potentially stimulated attack backed by a foreign government. , “said the same source. “The peace agreement, prior to its publication and even after its publication, surprised the extent to which the Department of State and Special Representative for the Tunisia in Afghanistan were at the helm, as opposed to the staff of the National Security Council. . ”
While top administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, were quick to condemn the December attack on Bagram, no U.S. casualties were reported in the days and weeks that followed, though he knew shortly after the incident that four Americans were injured, according to the Pentagon information document.
The administration has also never mentioned Iran’s connection to the bombing, a current omission and former officials said it was linked to the broader prioritization of the peace agreement and withdrawal from Afghanistan.
A State Department spokesman declined to comment on Iran’s alleged role in the December 11 attack on Bagram, but told CNN that Tehran’s support for certain elements of the Taliban has threatened to undermine the peace process in Afghanistan. ‘
“Iran has tried to use proxy groups to carry out its own nefarious agenda of the Iranian regime, and it would be a mistake for any faction of the Taliban to get dirty in Iran’s dirty work,” she added, noting that the Trump administration remains committed to addressing the full range of threats that Iran poses to the US and regional stability. “
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