U.S. intelligence ramps up operations against Russia and China in Afghanistan
By Andrey Serenko, special correspondent for “NG”
U.S. intelligence intensified its activities in Afghanistan in the summer of 2025, according to a special report from the Afghan Taliban’s counterintelligence service. Taliban intelligence sources indicate that American espionage efforts are primarily directed against Russia and China.
“NG” obtained a secret document from the Main Intelligence Directorate (MID) of the Afghan Taliban, containing an assessment of current U.S. intelligence operations in Afghanistan. The special report from MID Directorate 367 (counterintelligence) was sent on August 23 to Directorate 061 (an analytical unit), signed by the head of Taliban counterintelligence, Asadullah Baryalay.
The report states:
"The U.S. intelligence service (CIA – NG) has intensified its activities in the country (Afghanistan – NG) against Russia and China compared to previous periods. This organization (CIA – NG) seeks to act against the citizens and political representatives of these countries to achieve its international intelligence objectives, while simultaneously discrediting the Islamic regime and promoting its own agenda."
According to Baryalay, the U.S. intelligence services have “already sent their former agents to the region, to whom the U.S. granted Green Cards.”
Baryalay sent the Taliban counterintelligence report to the MID analytical unit “for further study” and for distribution to other Taliban intelligence departments.
The document reveals intriguing nuances of the larger espionage game in Afghanistan:
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CIA network activity in the Taliban ‘emirate’ increased after the election of U.S. President Donald Trump. This confirms earlier rumors that the new administration in Washington intended to alter America’s Afghanistan strategy and begin a “return” of U.S. influence in the country.
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Although public narratives claim that U.S. and Taliban intelligence cooperate primarily in combating the Afghan branch of the Islamic State (IS, a terrorist organization banned in Russia), the Taliban MID document shows that CIA operatives are actually increasing espionage activities from Afghanistan against Russian and Chinese citizens, as well as political representations in Moscow and Beijing.
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According to the Taliban counterintelligence chief, one should expect an increase in CIA recruitment attempts targeting Russian and Chinese citizens in Afghanistan. CIA personnel can also extensively use Afghan agents, including those returning from emigration—likely for specific operational tasks, developments, and combinations.
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U.S. intelligence may employ Afghan-based agents to penetrate Russia and China, posing as labor migrants, potential students, or businesspeople supposedly eager to develop joint economic projects with Moscow and Beijing.
The August 23, 2025, report from Asadullah Baryalay highlights the characteristics of the CIA’s intensified activity in contemporary Afghanistan and will likely attract the attention of Russian and Chinese intelligence services. It remains unknown whether Taliban MID shared their observations of American spies with Russian and Chinese counterparts.
The report will also likely draw the attention of U.S. intelligence, which has secretly funded the Taliban MID for several years. Despite this, the Taliban monitor their “allies” in countering international terrorism very closely and, apparently, have been unable to keep the results of these observations secret.
The head of Taliban counterintelligence suspects CIA operatives and agents in Afghanistan of attempting to discredit the Taliban “Islamic regime” by intensifying American espionage against Russia and China. Judging by the fact that Asadullah Baryalay delegated the analytical unit of the Taliban MID to address this challenge, the Taliban counterintelligence service currently lacks a ready-made strategy to respond.
