FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 29, 2020
Contact: press@defensepriorities.org
WASHINGTON, DC—Recent reports allege that Russian intelligence offered Afghan militants bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Defense Priorities Policy Director Benjamin H. Friedman issued the following statement in response:
“Reports that Russian military intelligence offered bounties to the Taliban to kill U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan are disturbing. Russia’s alleged operations do not change the realities on the ground in Afghanistan and the strong U.S. interest in getting its forces out.
“It is important to know and remember whatever Russia did, but at the end of the day, the people attacking U.S. military personnel there are Afghans. And they are likely to continue targeting our forces until we end our futile participation in their civil war. Staying in Afghanistan to get the best of Putin and Russia or any other perceived U.S. nemesis would just exacerbate the tragedy of the needlessly extended U.S. war there.
“One need not forgive the alleged Russian action to note that it is not altogether surprising given the opportunity the Afghanistan war presents to those who wish harm on the U.S. And whether or not the supposed Russian bounties were vengeance for the U.S. killing of Russian mercenaries in Syria, it was surely a bad idea for our Envoy to Syria to recently say his job is to create a ‘quagmire’ for the Russians there. Inflicting costs on other great powers is bound to induce some kind of blowback, whether or not this bounty story is it. Painful as it is, this story is a reminder of the urgent need to get all U.S. forces out of Afghanistan.”
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