The New York Times story alleging that Russia paid Afghan militants to kill US troops is “probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax,” US President Donald Trump said on Twitter.
Trump debunks Russian Attacks
The US President, Trump, furious over the reporting, with all his might, took to Twitter to debunk the NYT report, which claimed that he failed to act against Russia after US intelligence told him that Moscow was secretly offering and paying money for attacks on coalition troops in Afghanistan.
“Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us,” he said. “Nobody’s been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration.” The president contrasted his record with his challenger in the upcoming presidential elections, Joe Biden, saying he and Barack Obama allowed Russia to have a “field day” in Ukraine.
Read more: Covid-19 offers unique opportunity for peace in Afghanistan
News of the alleged Russian-backed scheme was met with scorn by top Democrats, including 2020 candidate Joe Biden. In a virtual town hall event on Saturday, Biden suggested that if the NY Times published an accurate report, Trump should face consequences.
Funny to see Corrupt Joe Biden reading a statement on Russia, which was obviously written by his handlers. Russia ate his and Obama’s lunch during their time in office, so badly that Obama wanted them out of the then G-8. U.S. was weak on everything, but especially Russia!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2020
Biden repeated longstanding Democratic allegations that Trump has a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that his “entire presidency has been a gift to Putin, but this is beyond the pale.”
“It’s betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harm’s way. It’s a betrayal of every single American family with a loved one serving in Afghanistan or anywhere overseas,” he said.
Read more: Hidden strategic objectives of New York Times’ fake news on Russia & Taliban
Trump denied Biden’s claims, reiterating his claim that the Kremlin took advantage of the former vice president as well as former President Barack Obama.
The New York Times story alleged that Russia’s military intelligence had paid Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan to attack NATO soldiers. Trump was briefed on the issue in March, but failed to act on the information, the newspaper claimed. However, the White House and US Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe denied that the briefing described in the report ever took place.
Russian attacks in Afghanistan: Russia’s Response
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has dismissed the New York Times story as an “unsophisticated plant” that “clearly illustrates the low intellectual abilities of the propagandists from US intelligence, who, instead of inventing something more plausible, resort to conjuring up such nonsense.”
Over the weekend, the newspaper cited “officials briefed on the matter” for its report, while it noted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow hasn’t been made aware of the claims, while a Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, denied the allegations.
“These kinds of deals with the Russian intelligence agency are baseless—our target killings and assassinations were ongoing in years before, and we did it on our own resources,” Mujahid said. “That changed after our deal with the Americans, and their lives are secure and we don’t attack them.”
…Nobody’s been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration. With Corrupt Joe Biden & Obama, Russia had a field day, taking over important parts of Ukraine – Where’s Hunter? Probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax. Who is their “source”?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2020
Aiming at the NY Times, Trump said the newspaper used an anonymous source to obtain the report and must reveal the person in order for it to be credible.
What does the future hold for Afghanistan?
The United States has imposed sanctions on Russia over various issues, including its annexation of Crimea, cyberattacks, and election interference. Military officials spoke out in unusually harsh terms earlier this month over what they said was Russia’s decision to move fourth-generation fighter jets into Libya, adding to a spiraling proxy conflict there.
Read more: US-Taliban Peace Accord: Complexities of Peace Building in Afghanistan
News of the cloaked operation comes as speculation mounts about the future of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. While the Pentagon has completed its initial drawdown to about 8,600 service members — a first step toward the full withdrawal that, under the February peace deal, is supposed to occur by the spring of 2021 —, officials describe the exit plans as “conditions-based” and say those terms have not yet been met.
Even as Taliban forces halt attacks against U.S. forces as part of that deal, the militants have continued to assault Afghan troops, making for what one senior Afghan official described recently as the deadliest situation in 19 years.
RT with additional input by GVS News Desk
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