Axios reports exclusive news that the Trump administration is declassifying an intelligence that shows the Chinese Communist Party is offering bounties for attacks on U.S. soldiers. An official said.” The U.S. has evidence that China (the Chinese Communist Party) tried to fund attacks on U.S. service members by non-state actors in Afghanistan by offering financial incentives or ‘bounties,'” adding that the National Security Council “is coordinating a government-wide investigation.”
Two senior administration officials told Axios that the Trump administration is declassifying an intelligence report that was recently briefed to President Trump indicating that the Chinese Communist Party offered to pay non-state actors in Afghanistan to attack U.S. soldiers.
The Chinese Communist Party embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to a request for comment.
The intelligence was included in a Dec. 17 presidential briefing and National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien also briefed Trump verbally on the matter, according to officials.
Government officials from multiple agencies are currently working to confirm the initial intelligence reports.
Axios was unable to examine the details of the intelligence report. Officials described a summary by phone.
Why it’s important. If this intelligence is confirmed, it would represent a dramatic escalation of tensions between the United States and China.
The Chinese Communist Party has long played an ostensibly quiet diplomatic role in Afghanistan, inviting Afghan Taliban officials to Beijing to discuss plans for a peace deal, though Communist-made weapons and money have sometimes flowed into the conflict in Afghanistan.
A senior official involved in the latest discussions, describing the intelligence to Axios, said, “Like all first reports, we react cautiously to the initial report” but “any intelligence report related to the security of our forces, we take very seriously”
A second senior official with direct knowledge of internal discussions said officials convened a Policy Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting on Dec. 22 to discuss the matter.
The official said the PCC focused on two objectives: consultation with the intelligence center on trying to verify the initial report, and consultation between the intelligence community and the defense community around the force protection posture of the remaining forces in Afghanistan.
Officials would not describe the source or sources of the intelligence, nor would they disclose the time or period of time when the activity occurred.
One official said.” The U.S. has evidence that China (People’s Republic of China) is attempting to fund attacks on U.S. service members by non-state actors in Afghanistan by offering financial incentives or ‘bounties,'” adding that the National Security Council “is coordinating a government-wide investigation.”
He would not say whether he was referring to the Taliban or beyond the description of “non-state actors.
He said the government had earlier received information about the “illegal flow of Chinese Communist weapons into Afghanistan.
The British and U.S. governments have previously complained about the Taliban’s use of Chinese communist-made weapons.
According to a Dec. 25 report in the Hindustan Times, Afghan security officials recently uncovered a Chinese Communist spy ring allegedly operating in the country.
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