US lawmakers look for answers on alleged Russian-Taliban bounties

WASHINGTON: US lawmakers have sought answers on alleged intelligence that Russians offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing American troops. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday requested an inter-agency brief for all members of the House immediately on this issue, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The questions that arise are: was the President briefed, and if not, why not, and why was Congress not briefed. Congress and the country need answers now," Pelosi wrote in her letter to Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and CIA Director Gina Haspel.

"The administration's disturbing silence and inaction endanger the lives of our troops and our coalition partners," she added.

Republican Senator Jim Inhofe, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, tweeted on Monday: "We need answers. I have asked the administration to share what it knows, and I expect to know more in the coming days."

President Donald Trump said late Sunday denied he was briefed on the issue since the intelligence was not credible.

In a report on June 26, The New York Times said that Trump had been briefed that Russian intelligence units secretly offered bounties to Taliban-related militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan during US-Taliban peace talks.

The report also said the National Security Council discussed this issue at an inter-agency meeting in late March, while the White House thus far has not taken any actions to respond. (IANS)

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