Editor’s note: WorldNetDaily brings readers exclusive, up-to-the-minute global intelligence news and analysis from Geostrategy-Direct, a new online newsletter edited by veteran journalist Robert Morton and featuring the “Backgrounder” column compiled by Bill Gertz. Geostrategy-Direct is a subscription-based service produced by the publishers of WorldTribune.com, a free news service frequently linked by the editors of WorldNetDaily.
U.S. intelligence agencies are closely monitoring Russian shipments to Afghanistan and are concerned Moscow may be trying to gain influence over the new government of Hamid Karzai.
Russian IL-76 aircraft have been arriving in steady flights to Kabul carrying humanitarian aid for the Afghans.
Intelligence officials said they suspect the Russians also are covertly moving in large numbers of intelligence personnel as part of the assistance.
Russian GRU military intelligence personnel and SVR intelligence officers have been detected among the Russian personnel in Afghanistan.
The use of humanitarian operations for intelligence gathering is standard practice for Russia, U.S. officials said. Similar activities were carried out in the Balkans as part of peacekeeping operations there.
The humanitarian effort is being directed by Moscow’s Emergency Situation Ministry, which claims to have delivered over 400 tons of humanitarian aid since Nov. 29.
The Russian moves into Afghanistan surprised war planners at the U.S. Central Command because the flights complicated U.S. bombing missions.
The IL-76 flights have included at least 17 trips from Moscow to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to the airfield at Bagram, north of Kabul. Mi-26 helicopters also have been flying regularly into Kabul.
U.S. intelligence officials suspect the Russians expect to get a return on their investment of supplying arms and armored vehicles to the Northern Alliance forces. The arms were delivered in November and were key to ousting the Taliban in major battles.
Russia’s most important ally in the new government is warlord Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, who was named deputy defense minister in the interim government on Dec. 24.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Dec. 21 that Moscow’s goal is to have “on its southern boundary a friendly and neutral country, which won’t have bases of terrorists to be sent to the Northern Caucasus on its territory.”
Russia’s diplomatic representative in Afghanistan, Alexander Oblov, stated Dec. 10 that Russian troops would not be sent to Afghanistan, but he did not rule out future military cooperation after the current war is over. “Not a single Russian soldier will be sent to Afghanistan,” Oblov told Izvestia.
But Oblov said “the return of Russian military advisers to Afghanistan” is possible. The two governments could “revive such a practice if a weapons deal is concluded.” Russia also could provide training to Afghan military personnel, he said. Officials do not doubt that Russia is helping with humanitarian aid. Russia has set up a medical facility in the Afghan capital staffed by Russian military medical personnel.
The ministry has reported sending tons of sugar, flour, canned meat, fish, milk, rice and vegetable oil. Some 2.5 tons of medical supplies also have been sent.
Military ordnance specialists also have cleared some 4,522 mines from the area around Kabul.
Subscribe to Geostrategy-Direct.
Despite Kamala’s lies, the ‘are you better off’ question remains
Larry Elder