HOSTILE POWER

Russian Bounties Led to U.S. Troops’ Deaths, Intelligence Officials Believe

It is unclear how many of the deaths in Afghanistan in recent years were caused by the bounty program.

U.S. intelligence officials believe Russian bounties offered to Taliban militants caused the deaths of American troops in Afghanistan, according to recent interrogation of captured militants, The Washington Post reports. U.S. forces suffered 10 deaths in 2018, 16 in 2019, and two in 2020 as a result of hostile gunfire or bombs. Several soldiers have also been killed in recent years by Afghan security forces believed to have been infiltrated by the Taliban. It is unknown how many deaths resulted from the Russian bounty program. The disclosure led to a restricted high-level White House meeting in March. President Donald Trump over the weekend denied having any knowledge of the matter, calling reports on the intelligence “Fake News.”