GRU Allegedly Paid Taliban Up to $200,000 Per U.S. Soldier Killed in Afghanistan from 2015-2020

Jan 8, 2025, 05:17 PM

An investigation by The Insider and Der Spiegel has revealed that Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, allegedly paid the Taliban and other militant groups in Afghanistan to carry out attacks on U.S. and coalition forces. The operation, which reportedly ran from 2015 to 2020, involved payments of up to $200,000 per killed American or coalition soldier, with an estimated total expenditure of $30 million. The GRU used a network of Afghan couriers, disguised as a gemstone trading company, to transfer funds to the militants. Key figures in the operation included Rahmatullah Azizi, who coordinated the courier network, and GRU officers Lieutenant General Ivan Kasyanenko and Colonel Alexey Arkhipov, who oversaw and liaised with the Taliban, respectively. The investigation also found that some of these couriers were later granted asylum in Russia and even sought refuge in Western Europe.