'Duty to warn' guided US advance warning of the Moscow attack. Adversaries don't always listen
BY ELLEN KNICKMEYER
Updated 9:15 PM PDT, March 25, 2024
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WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. warning to Russia couldnt have been plainer: Two weeks before the deadliest attack in Russia in years, Americans had publicly and privately advised President Vladimir Putins government that extremists had imminent plans for just such slaughter.
The United States shared those advance intelligence indications under a tenet of the U.S. intelligence community called the duty to warn, which obliges U.S. intelligence officials to lean toward sharing knowledge of a dire threat if conditions allow. That holds whether the targets are allies, adversaries or somewhere in between.
Theres little sign Russia acted to try to head off Fridays attack at a concert hall on Moscows edge, which killed more than 130 people. The Islamic States affiliate in Afghanistan claimed responsibility, and the U.S. said it has information backing up the extremist groups claim.
John Kirby, the Biden administrations national security spokesman, made clear that the warning shouldnt be seen as a breakthrough in U.S.-Russian relations or intelligence-sharing. Yeah, look, theres not going to be security assistance with Russia and the United States, Kirby told reporters Monday.
https://apnews.com/article/russia-intelligence-duty-to-warn-ab89b8b933c1c51b25903166951a1c7a