WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th June, 2020) US President Donald Trump was not informed about the alleged intelligence that reportedly suggested that Russian intelligence had solicited killings of US troops by the Taliban in Afghanistan, the White House said.
"The United States receives thousands of intelligence reports a day and they are subject to strict scrutiny. While the White House does not routinely comment on alleged intelligence or internal deliberations, the CIA Director, National Security Advisor, and the Chief of Staff can all confirm that neither the President nor the Vice President were briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence. This does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of the New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter," White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a Saturday statement.
On Friday, The New York Times published an article where it cited unnamed government sources as saying that Trump had been presented with an intelligence report that claimed that Moscow could have paid bounty to armed Islamic insurgents in Afghanistan to assassinate US soldiers. The outlet said Trump had so far failed to act on the report.
On Saturday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid refuted the reports saying that these rumors are set to create obstacles to US pullout from the country. The spokesman stressed that the Taliban's activities were not related to any intelligence body or foreign country.
