The Trump administration is declassifying unconfirmed intelligence indicating that China paid non-state actors in Afghanistan to attack US soldiers, Axios reported Wednesday.
Two senior officials reported Axios with which intelligence was included President Trump
Donald Trump signed audit in Georgia finds no fraud in presidential election Pompeo calls for release of Chinese journalist imprisoned for coronavirus reporting‘s briefing on December 17. Administrative officials from multiple agencies attempt to confirm the information. If the information is indeed true, it could drastically change China’s relationship with the US and increase tensions between the two superpowers.
The officials who spoke to Axios did not say where the information came from or what period it related to.
Axios noted that China has largely stayed out of Afghanistan while speaking to Taliban officials about peace deals. However, Chinese-made weapons and financing have intermittently made their way to Afghanistan, the news center reported.
Andrew Small, an expert on China-Afghanistan affairs, told Axios such actions were inconsistent with typical China policies, noting that peace in Afghanistan is an area that the US and China typically agree on to be.
“They know the withdrawal is taking place. We are not in the context where anything else needs to be done with US forces in Afghanistan. There is no reason to put additional pressure on US forces,” said Small.
This report comes months after unconfirmed intelligence came out that Russia had offered bounties to US troops in Afghanistan. Trump was condemned by lawmakers for his apparent reluctance to acknowledge or confront Russia with the reports.
According to Axios, it is unclear whether the president elected Joe Biden
Joe BidenGeorgia signature audit finds no presidential election fraud Pence declined to sign up to reverse election, lawyers say New Lincoln Project ad shows Trump border wall built from COVID-19 victims’ gravestones or any members of Congress have been similarly notified of this information, although Biden has access to the President’s daily letter.
If the information cannot ultimately be confirmed, the decision to release it would be questioned, Axios noted.