JRL NEWSWATCH: “How Kremlin’s View of U.S.’s War in Afghanistan Has Shifted” – Wall Street Journal/ Alan Cullison

File Photo of U.S. NATO Troops Atop Ridge in Afghanistan

“Deteriorating U.S.-Russian ties adversely affect a once-shared goal, leading to a U.S. intelligence assessment of bounties paid to Taliban.”

“For years … the U.S. and Russia shared a goal of deposing the Taliban government and hunting down its remnants …. [T]hat … crumbled … amid mutual suspicion and U.S. plans to leave Afghanistan with the Taliban undefeated. Today… [there is] a furor … over intelligence assessments that Russia allegedly paid bounties to the Taliban to attack U.S. soldiers … In Moscow, officials have vehemently denied … [the allegations]. … The Trump administration has likewise cast doubts … saying … intelligence about it was unverified and leaked for political purposes. … Though Russia has often paid lip service to cooperation with the U.S. in conflict zones, Russian military forces [reportedly] have shown a taste for brinkmanship and leveraging dangerous situations, creating headaches for U.S. commanders …. There are no documented killings of American servicemen by Russians in the conflict zones, although the U.S. killed numerous Russian alleged mercenaries … in Syria … in response to what the U.S. called an unprovoked attack. …”

Click here for: “How Kremlin’s View of U.S.’s War in Afghanistan Has Shifted; Deteriorating U.S.-Russian ties adversely affect a once-shared goal, leading to a U.S. intelligence assessment of bounties paid to Taliban” – Wall Street Journal/ Alan Cullison

 

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