Pentagon chief confirms he was briefed on intelligence about Russian payments to the Taliban

[rangerrebew]

Pentagon chief confirms he was briefed on intelligence about Russian payments to the Taliban
Zachary Cohen

By Zachary Cohen, CNN

Updated 10:22 PM ET, Thu July 9, 2020
 

(CNN)Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirmed Thursday that he had been briefed on information regarding Russian payments to the Taliban, seemingly acknowledging that Russia's support for the militant group in Afghanistan is not a "hoax," as President Donald Trump has claimed. However, Esper also made clear that he has not seen intelligence that corroborates claims that American troops were killed as a result of the "bounty" payments, walking a delicate line between acknowledging a well-known threat and potentially clashing with the President.

Esper's comments came during a long-awaited appearance before the House Armed Services Committee, where lawmakers had their first opportunity to ask the defense secretary and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley about their knowledge of intelligence on Russia offering bounties to the Taliban for killing US troops in Afghanistan.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/09/politics/esper-briefed-russian-payments-to-taliban/index.html

[rangerrebew]

What CNN "knows" about this and what the Pentagon and Russia say are completely different.  Imagine that. I don't know what Esper was briefed on but if military intelligence and Russia both claim they know nothing of it, I'll go with that before I go with CNN.