A top U.S. military official confirmed Tuesday that U.S. intelligence assessed that Russia had offered to pay Taliban militants to kill American service members, but said there was no evidence the proposed payment scheme resulted in any U.S. troop deaths.

“I found it very worrisome,” Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, in charge of U.S. Central Command, said of the intelligence. “I didn’t find that there was a causative link there.”

Gen. McKenzie’s public comments to a group of reporters while traveling in Qatar were the first by a top military official regarding the intelligence. Central Command is responsible for U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan.