Current and former intelligence officials familiar with the intelligence said it was less ambiguous than White House officials and some lawmakers have portrayed and indicated that Russian military intelligence had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants who killed U.S. military personnel. Some officials think the Russian operation led to the deaths of several U.S. service members, according to intelligence gleaned from captured militants in recent months. ADADTrump dismissed the intelligence reports and said he was never told that a Russian military spy unit offered bounties to militants to attack coalition forces in Afghanistan, including U.S. troops. ADFormer intelligence officials said it was unusual not to inform the president about threats to U.S. forces, even if the information was still being assessed. The intelligence was also the subject of meetings at the White House National Security Council, another indication that intelligence officials thought it was credible and merited senior-level attention.

Source: Washington Post June 29, 2020 11:11 UTC