The US believes that Russia used to support the Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan, but they have no evidence that Russia led the attacks or paid to target US soldiers in Afghanistan, Reuters reported referring to Army General, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Mark Milley.

Milley took the oath of office in Congress after a closed briefing on reports that Russia could pay the Taliban to kill the US military.

Milley and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said the US military, including the National Security Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency, could not confirm intelligence which sources say was collected by the CIA.

Milley did not dispute the fact that Russia, like other countries, has long been involved in events in Afghanistan.

“But there’s a big distinction between arming and directing (military activity). We know about arms. We know about weapons. We know about support, things like that,” Milley told the House Armed Services Committee, sitting alongside Esper at a hearing. 

“We don’t have — in the case of the Russians — we do not have concrete corroborating evidence, intelligence, to show ‘directing.’ That’s a big difference.”