U.S. officials have intercepted data showing financial transfers between a Russian military spy unit and Taliban-linked accounts, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing three unnamed officials familiar with the intelligence.
The alleged intercepts bolstered U.S. intelligence conclusions, also reported by the NYT, that Russia offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill American troops in Afghanistan. Both Russia and the Taliban have denied the claims.
The U.S. intercepts showed large financial transfers from a bank controlled by Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency to a Taliban-linked account, the NYT reported.
“Analysts concluded from other intelligence that the transfers were most likely part of a bounty program,” the newspaper wrote.
The GRU has been linked to assassination attempts in Europe including the 2018 poisoning attempt on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Britain.
Afghan officials reportedly corroborated the intelligence, saying Afghanistan has arrested 13 suspected middlemen between the GRU and Taliban-linked militants in the past six months and seized $500,000 in cash from one of their homes.
Trump administration officials have briefed several House Republicans on intelligence that both supports and undermines the conclusion that Russia was running a covert bounty operation, two anonymous officials were quoted as saying.
The NYT reported that at least two deadly attacks linked to the alleged bounties were under scrutiny, one of which killed three Marines in April 2019.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
