The members of Afghanistan’s former National Army Commando Corps, who were abandoned by the US and its allies after the country fell back into the hands of Taliban, are reportedly being lured by Russia to fight in Ukraine.
Except for the few hundreds who were evacuated, most members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces were abandoned by the US and its allies, which spent almost $90 billion towards training them.
The remaining 20,000 to 30,000 volunteer commandos were left behind in the war-torn country. The majority of them are in hiding or in neighbouring countries, fearing the Taliban.
These men are now "jobless and hopeless" and awaiting resettlement, thereby making them an easy target for Russian recruiters, reported Foreign Policy.
The report, quoting Afghan security sources, said these commandoes joining the Russian army "would be a game-changer" on the Ukrainian battlefield. Though these men ceded the power of the country to the Taliban within days after the Western forces withdrew from Afghanistan, they are said to be highly competent as they were trained by U.S. Navy SEALs and the British Special Air Service.
According to an Afghan former official, the recruitment process is being overseen by Russian President Vladimir Putin's infamous Wagner Group.
"I am telling you [the recruiters] are Wagner Group. They are gathering people from all over. The only entity that recruits foreign troops [for Russia] are Wagner Group, not their army. It’s not an assumption; it’s a known fact, the official told Foreign Policy.
He added that most men do not want to fight for Russia but had no other option. "They’d be better used by Western allies to fight alongside Ukrainians," he added.
Some former commandos report being contacted on WhatsApp and Signal with offers to join Russia's "foreign legion" to fight in Ukraine. As per initial figures, upto 10,000 former commandos could be amenable to the Russian offers. "They have no country, no jobs, no future. They have nothing to lose," a military source told Foreign Policy.
"It’s not difficult," he added. "They are waiting for work for $3 to $4 a day in Pakistan or Iran or $10 a day in Turkey, and if Wagner or any other intelligence services come to a guy and offer $1,000 to be a fighting man again, they won’t reject it. And if you find one guy to recruit, he can get half his old unit to join up because they are like brothers—and pretty soon, you’ve got a whole platoon."
The report added that the recruitment process is very secretive. The recruits were flown from Afghanistan to Iran and then to Russia. "When they accept Russia’s offer, the commando personnels’ phones are turned off. They proceed very secretly," the former captain said.
