An Afghan drug smuggler acted as a go-between for Russia to hand out cash bounties to the Taliban for killing American troops and coalition forces, The New York Times reports. Rahmatullah Azizi grew wealthy after establishing a base of operations for his small contracting business, and his friends could not divine what work had so enriched him as to live in a four-story house and drive ritzy cars. U.S. troops conducting a raid found half a million dollars in cash in Azizi’s house, the Times reports. U.S. military personnel have arrested dozens of his relatives and business associates, but intelligence officers reportedly believe he has fled Afghanistan, likely to Russia. The U.S. intelligence community believes Russian intelligence agents have offered cash payments for American casualties, though how many bounties they have paid remains unclear. An ex-Taliban officer said the program goes back five years.
