Is Russia Paying the Taliban a Bounty to Kill US Troops? An Alternative Explanation

Joseph V. Micallef is a best-selling military history and world affairs author, and keynote speaker. Follow him on Twitter @JosephVMicallef. On Friday, the New York Times published a story claiming that a unit of Russian Military Intelligence (GRU) was paying a bounty to Taliban fighters to target and kill American troops stationed in Afghanistan. NYT claimed that the policy had been approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that at least one American service member had been killed as a result. According to the Times, President Donald Trump was briefed on the practice in March and was subsequently presented with a number of possible policy responses, but has yet to take any action....