China offered Afghan militants rewards to attack US army: Report
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New York: The US intelligence officials have recently briefed President Donald Trump that suggests China offered to pay militants in Afghanistan to attack American soldiers, reported axios.com.
According to the report, the sources from US administration said that the offer was made after the US struck its deal with the Taliban.
National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien informed the President orally of the information, during a security briefing in mid-December.
Sources were quoted as saying that officials from the administration met on the 22nd of this month to discuss the protection of the remaining American soldiers in Afghanistan.
The officials did not disclose the source of the information, nor the time period in which the Chinese bonuses were paid, according to the intelligence account.
Axios said that officials from various US intelligence agencies are working on documenting this initial information.
A senior official was quoted as saying that these initial reports about China's supposed involvement in inciting the targeting of American soldiers in Afghanistan are being treated with caution.
China has been playing an active role in Afghanistan, inviting a Taliban delegation to Beijing to deliberate on plans for a peace deal in the country deeply wounded by US invasion.
China has not far commented on the report and it is worth to recall that the New York Times had recently published a report quoting the intelligence input which accused Russia of offering bounty to the militants in Afghanistan. The NYT report drew huge backlash from the US administration then.
