Afghan commandos trained by allied forces are being recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine after being abandoned by the West when the country fell to the Taliban
Afghan commandos trained by allied forces to fight the Taliban are now being recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine. Up to 30,000 men in Afghanistan’s elite national army commando force were abandoned by the West when the country fell to the Taliban last year.
Now, the US-trained infantry force that has fought with allied forces for nearly 20 years may join Vladimir Putin’s war effort. The ‘Daily Mail’ reports that the Wagner group, Putin’s private army, is behind the recruitment campaign, and is taking advantage of the difficult economic situation in Afghanistan.
Afghan commandos trained by Allied forces are being recruited by RUSSIA to fight in Ukraine https://t.co/knEGMClTGS
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) October 26, 2022
A former Afghan official told Foreign Policy: “I’m telling you that the recruiters are the Wagner group, they’re gathering people from all over. “The Afghan commandos are standing by Western allies to fight alongside the Ukrainians, they don’t want to fight for the Russians, the Russians are the enemy. But what is left for them to do in their lives?”
Senior military and security officials in Afghanistan fear that over 10,000 soldiers may be tempted to join, because they have ‘nothing to lose’. Only a few hundred senior officers were rescued by the US in the catastrophic retreat from Kabul in August 2021. Many Afghan soldiers fled to neighboring countries and others went into hiding fearing revenge from the Taliban for their loyalty to the West.
A former captain of an Afghan commando unit, now in hiding, said he helped his friends connect with recruiters in Iran. “They were flown to Tehran and then continued to Russia, where their phones are switched off and they carry out their mission secretly,” he said. He added: “We are very disappointed. For 18 years, we have carried out dangerous missions side by side with American, British and Norwegian advisers. Now, I am in hiding. I suffer every second.”
Despite the attractive offer, many of the soldiers hesitate to fight for a country that invaded Afghanistan and recently supported the Taliban.