"If indeed they did this, this would be a serious miscalculation & a serious mistake" ret. Gen. John Nicholson, former commander of US Force in #Afghanistan, tells lawmakers re alleged #Russia|n bounties
"What we saw [in #Afghanistan] was a pattern that they had used in #Crimea, #Ukraine, the #Baltics & #Syria" Nicholson says of #Russia aid to #Taliban "...of using military exercises to move capability and people into an area & then leave some behind"
"This slow, gradual build-up while we weer focused primarily on #Syria was of concern enough to me as commander that we highlighted this & eventually called them out" per Nicholson of #Russia
"They were arming & equipping & giving money to the #Taliban" per ret Gen Nicholson on #Russia "It was in modest quantities. It was not designed to be a game changer on the battlefield..."
Of alleged #Russia bounty program in #Afghanistan - "I was somewhat surprised" per ret. Gen Nicholson "This is so risky & irresponsible it would mark a department from it's previous calibrated approach"
"If we assess that #Russia put bounties on Americans & coalition members...we need to condemn this action from the highest levels of the United States gvt, @NATO" per Nicholson
"We should suspend any troop withdrawals from #Germany" he adds
"These troop withdrawals play into #Russia|n desires to undermine and weaken @NATO" per Nicholson "If carried out despite these bounties, this will be viewed as a sign of American weakness in the face of Russian threats"
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.