Pentagon Exposes NYT Fake News About Russian Bounties to Kill US Troops

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

In June, the Times sunk to a new low even by its own deplorable standards that are polar opposite publishing all the news fit to print.

On all things Russia and other sovereign independent nations on the US target list for regime change, the Times features state-approved managed news misinformation and disinformation rubbish exclusively, truth-telling long ago abandoned.

It turned truth on its head, falsely claiming US "intelligence officials have concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan — including targeting American troops — amid the peace talks to end the long-running war there, according to officials briefed on the matter (sic)," adding:

"The United States concluded months ago that the Russian unit, which has been linked to assassination attempts and other covert operations in Europe intended to destabilize the West or take revenge on turncoats, had covertly offered rewards for successful attacks last year (sic)."

When the above narrative fell flat, the Times published a new version of what no evidence supports, saying:

Moscow paid "Taliban-linked militants to kill American and coalition troops in Afghanistan," using a middleman "contractor (sic)."

A follow-up fake news report claimed "intercepted electronic data on financial transfers…from a bank account controlled by Russia's military intelligence agency to a Taliban-linked account (sic)," compounded the fake news story by falsely saying funds were transferred this way.

Multiple fake news versions cited anonymous sources only, an obvious red flag.

No corroborating evidence accompanied the Times' claims because none existed earlier or now.

On September 14, NBC News headlined the following related to the above fake news by the Times:

"US commander: Intel still hasn't established Russia paid Taliban 'bounties' to kill US troops," saying:

CENTCOM commander General Frank McKenzie said "(i)t just has not been proved to a level of certainty that satisfies me."

He's saying that no evidence supports the Times' accusations.

According to NBC News, "(t)wo  months after top Pentagon officials vowed to get to the bottom of whether the Russian government bribed the Taliban to kill American service members, the commander of troops in the region says a detailed review of all available intelligence has not been able to corroborate the existence of such a program."

McKenzie's assessment reflects consensus among the joint chiefs of staff.

Once again after countless times before, the Times was caught red-handed, publishing fake news — far removed from journalism the way it's supposed to be, what the broadsheet and other establishment media long ago abandoned.

The NBC News report diverged from its usual misreporting and disreporting on major issues, especially geopolitical ones.

It ruined it by adding the following fake news, saying:

"US intelligence agencies have for years documented Russian financial and military support to the Taliban, but a Russian program to incentivize the killing of American service members would represent a significant escalation (sic)."

No evidence supports the above claim because none exists.

After reviewing intelligence on attacks against US forces in Afghanistan in recent years, the Pentagon found no evidence linking them to alleged bounties paid to Taliban fighters by Russia. 

The Taliban debunked the Times claim, calling it a "phony hit job."

Interviewed by RT, Taliban negotiator Suhail Shaheen said "(w)e are not fighting anyone for money."

The fake news Times story "has to do with internal politics" in the US, perhaps intending to undermine Taliban talks with Trump regime officials to continue forever war in Afghanistan.

The Taliban have been combatting US forces throughout most of the war, wanting their country back, a foreign occupier sent packing.

Their campaign isn't supported by Russia. Misreporting by the Times is typical of how it operates — backing the US war machine, opposing nonbelligerent countries Washington wants transformed into vassal states.

A Final Comment

Over a decade ago, Russia aided the US war machine in Afghanistan by letting US troops and weapons overfly its airspace en route to the country —  reported by the Times in July 2009, adding:

The arrangement "represent(ed)one of the most concrete achievements (by the Obama regime) to ease relations with Russia…"

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