According to a report in Axius, the president heard the intelligence information from his national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, on December 17. The report, which relies on two senior government officials, further states that the president has been updated on information regarding China’s activities in Afghanistan by O’Brien in an oral conversation.
The Chinese embassy in Washington has so far not responded to the publication, and Axis reports that Trump estimates he did not discuss it with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In addition, at this stage it is not clear whether members of the US Congress or members of the transition team of President-elect Joe Biden have been updated on the issue.
As you may recall, in June the New York Times reported that Russian intelligence offered a monetary reward to fighters in Afghanistan for killing soldiers from the multinational force, including American soldiers. The information on the subject came from information assessments by the US intelligence agencies, and they also claimed that last year payment was made to Islamist organizations in Afghanistan, and according to the agencies there is evidence of several cases where the money was paid to Islamic fighters who did their part in the deal.
In 2019, about 20 American soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, and according to information published by the New York Times in June, some of them may have received payment from Islamic elements from the Russian special forces in the country. U.S. intelligence shared the information with the British, who also have troops in Afghanistan.