NYT: Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops

[???]

Really? You want to pick a fight with me about something I didn't even say or imply?

...ok dude, you win, you're smart. have fun.

 

[ceecee]

Really? You want to pick a fight with me about something I didn't even say or imply?

...ok dude, you win, you're smart. have fun.

You didn't say - it doesn't even seem to matter what's true or credible anymore? Well, my bad then.

 

[???]

and your point?
Yeah, when I see most people focus on propaganda, rather than what's credible, the propaganda ends up becoming an important part of any political discussions.

 

[Jonny]

and your point?
Yeah, when I see most people focus on propaganda, rather than what's credible, the propaganda ends up becoming an important part of any political discussions.

In the context of this thread, the statement "it doesn't even seem to matter what's true or credible anymore, just what propaganda each side presents" seems to imply that this report doesn't matter. I could speculate what the plethora of possible meanings are for such a statement, but I'd rather just ask.

Can you speak in plain terms, specifically related to the topic of this thread?

 

[???]

If propaganda can contradict or cause people to question what's credible as I'm seeing happening a lot, then it's clearly lost its importance and the propaganda needs to be dealt with as a priority. And it's just my opinion based on my observations of seeing people, including family, argue politics. No need to jump down my throat on it, if anyone disagrees or thinks it wrong. That's fine, maybe I am wrong, but that's also what I think at the moment.

 

[ceecee]

In the context of this thread, the statement "it doesn't even seem to matter what's true or credible anymore, just what propaganda each side presents" seems to imply that this report doesn't matter. I could speculate what the plethora of possible meanings are for such a statement, but I'd rather just ask.

Can you speak in plain terms, specifically related to the topic of this thread?

Yes, that's how I read it too.

 

[Jonny]

If propaganda can contradict or cause people to question what's credible as I'm seeing happening a lot, then it's clearly lost its importance and the propaganda needs to be dealt with as a priority. And it's just my opinion based on my observations of seeing people, including family, argue politics. No need to jump down my throat on it, if anyone disagrees or thinks it wrong. That's fine, maybe I am wrong, but that's also what I think at the moment.

I'm sorry. My intention isn't to jump down your throat. I want to understand what you're saying. Do you believe that this report is propaganda? I honestly don't know what you're getting at here, and I would love to understand what you're saying.

 

[anticlimatic]

 

[rav3n]

Yeah, except the credible evidence even gets obfuscated into oblivion by the mass propaganda media; so it doesn't even seem to matter what's true or credible anymore, just what propaganda each side presents. That's what everyone focuses on anyway.

Dude, what is with dismissing credible evidence?

Russia Bounty on Americans: Afghan Acted as Middleman - The New York Times

A small-time businessman became a key middleman for bounties on coalition troops in Afghanistan, U.S. intelligence reports say. Friends saw him grow rich, but didn’t know how.

KABUL, Afghanistan — He was a lowly drug smuggler, neighbors and relatives say, then ventured into contracting, seeking a slice of the billions of dollars the U.S.-led coalition was funneling into construction projects in Afghanistan.

But he really began to show off his wealth in recent years, after establishing a base in Russia, though how he earned those riches remained mysterious. On his regular trips home to northern Afghanistan, he drove the latest model cars, protected by bodyguards, and his house was recently upgraded to a four-story villa.

Now Rahmatullah Azizi stands as a central piece of a puzzle rocking Washington, named in American intelligence reports and confirmed by Afghan officials as a key middleman who for years handed out money from a Russian military intelligence unit to reward Taliban-linked fighters for targeting American troops in Afghanistan, according to American and Afghan officials.

As security agencies connected the dots of the bounty scheme and narrowed in on him, they carried out sweeping raids to arrest dozens of his relatives and associates about six months ago, but discovered that Mr. Azizi had sneaked out of Afghanistan and was likely back in Russia. What they did find in one of his homes, in Kabul, was about half a million dollars in cash.

American and Afghan officials have maintained for years that Russia was running clandestine operations to undermine the U.S. mission in Afghanistan and aid the Taliban.

But U.S. officials only recently concluded that a Russian spy agency was paying bounties for killing coalition troops, including Americans, which the Kremlin and the Taliban have denied.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Here is something that is 2 years old, since I said this connection isn't new. Especially since it is geographically logical.

Why are Kabul and Washington not participating in Moscow-led Taliban talks?



But to understand how strategically logical is the involvement of Russia in this mess you need to reverse the roles. For example lets say that Russia gets fed up with Mexico's drug cartels and their drugs that are killing Russian people. Therefore they land in Mexico with fully ready and massive army with which they bulldoze the corrupt and ineffective government. After what they start years long war of catching the cartels to the last man.

So what are the odds that the US will just watch this and accept refugees if there are some ? I think we all know the answer to that.