Members of Afghanistan’s elite Nationwide Army Commando Corps, who have been deserted by the US and Western allies when the nation fell to the Taliban final 12 months, say they’re being contacted with affords to affix the Russian navy to battle in Ukraine. A number of Afghan navy and safety sources say the U.S.-trained mild infantry pressure, which fought alongside U.S. and different allied particular forces for nearly 20 years, may make the distinction Russia wants on the Ukrainian battlefield.
Afghanistan’s 20,000 to 30,000 volunteer commandos have been left behind when the US ceded Afghanistan to the Taliban in August 2021 . Only some hundred senior officers have been evacuated when the republic collapsed. 1000’s of troopers escaped to regional neighbors because the Taliban hunted down and killed loyalists to the collapsed authorities. Lots of the commandos who stay in Afghanistan are in hiding to keep away from seize and execution.
The US spent nearly $90 billion constructing the Afghan Nationwide Protection and Safety Forces. Though the pressure as a complete was incompetent and handed the nation over to the Taliban in a matter of weeks, the commandos have been all the time held in excessive regard, having been schooled by U.S. Navy SEALs and the British Particular Air Service.
Members of Afghanistan’s elite Nationwide Army Commando Corps, who have been deserted by the US and Western allies when the nation fell to the Taliban final 12 months, say they’re being contacted with affords to affix the Russian navy to battle in Ukraine. A number of Afghan navy and safety sources say the U.S.-trained mild infantry pressure, which fought alongside U.S. and different allied particular forces for nearly 20 years, may make the distinction Russia wants on the Ukrainian battlefield.
Afghanistan’s 20,000 to 30,000 volunteer commandos have been left behind when the US ceded Afghanistan to the Taliban in August 2021 . Only some hundred senior officers have been evacuated when the republic collapsed. 1000’s of troopers escaped to regional neighbors because the Taliban hunted down and killed loyalists to the collapsed authorities. Lots of the commandos who stay in Afghanistan are in hiding to keep away from seize and execution.
The US spent nearly $90 billion constructing the Afghan Nationwide Protection and Safety Forces. Though the pressure as a complete was incompetent and handed the nation over to the Taliban in a matter of weeks, the commandos have been all the time held in excessive regard, having been schooled by U.S. Navy SEALs and the British Particular Air Service.
Emblematic of the commandos’ pyrrhic success was the battle of Dawlat Abad, the place an Afghan commando unit fought the Taliban whereas ready for reinforcements and resupplies that by no means got here in June 2021. The U.S.-trained main who led the unit, Sohrab Azimi, turned a nationwide hero when it was revealed he’d had solely three days’ relaxation after combating for 50 days straight earlier than heading to his closing battle.
Now, they’re jobless and hopeless, many commandos nonetheless ready for resettlement in the US or Britain, making them simple targets for recruiters who perceive the “band of brothers” mentality of extremely expert combating males. This probably makes them simple pickings for Russian recruiters, mentioned Afghan safety sources. A former senior Afghan safety official, who requested anonymity, mentioned their integration into the Russian navy “can be a game-changer” on the Ukrainian battlefield, as Russian President Vladimir Putin struggles to recruit for his faltering conflict and is reportedly utilizing the infamous mercenary Wagner Group to enroll prisoners.
Wagner is a shady group that formally doesn’t exist however is believed to be run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, an affiliate of Putin who probably funds it by means of the GRU navy intelligence company. It reportedly first emerged in Crimea after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of the area from Ukraine, and it has since appeared in Syria, Libya, and elsewhere in Africa. Prigozhin was just lately filmed signing up prisoners in return for canceled sentences to strengthen Russian strains in Ukraine.
A former official, who was additionally an Afghan commando officer, mentioned he believed Wagner was behind Russia’s recruitment of Afghanistan’s particular forces. “I’m telling you [the recruiters] are Wagner Group. They’re gathering individuals from throughout. The one entity that recruits overseas troops [for Russia] are Wagner Group, not their military. It’s not an assumption; it’s a recognized truth,” he mentioned. “They’d be higher utilized by Western allies to battle alongside Ukrainians. They don’t wish to battle for the Russians; the Russians are the enemy. However what else are they going to do?”
Some former commandos report being contacted on WhatsApp and Sign with affords to affix what some specialists known as a Russian “overseas legion” to battle in Ukraine. News of the recruitment efforts has brought about alarm in Afghanistan’s former navy and safety circles, with members saying as much as 10,000 former commandos might be amenable to the Russian affords. As one other navy supply put it: “They don’t have any nation, no jobs, no future. They don’t have anything to lose.”
“It’s not troublesome,” he added. “They’re ready for work for $3 to $4 a day in Pakistan or Iran or $10 a day in Turkey, and if Wagner or some other intelligence companies come to a man and provide $1,000 to be a combating man once more, they received’t reject it. And when you discover one man to recruit, he can get half his outdated unit to affix up as a result of they’re like brothers—and fairly quickly, you’ve received a complete platoon.”
Since international consideration switched to Ukraine following Russia’s February invasion, the Afghan commandos have been left excessive and dry. As a substitute of serving to them escape Taliban loss of life squads, the US and its allies have largely gone AWOL. Their vulnerability to recruitment by nations hostile to the US was flagged in a report by Rep. Michael McCaul on final 12 months’s evacuation debacle. Referring to United States’ intelligence property—which embody the Afghan commandos—he mentioned they “may probably current a danger to U.S. safety ought to they be coerced or coopted into working with an adversary, together with worldwide terrorist teams equivalent to [the Islamic State-Khorasan] or state actors like China, Russia, and Iran.”
A 35-year-old former commando captain in hiding in Afghanistan mentioned he had helped a variety of former colleagues join with a recruitment workplace in Tehran. Recruits have been flown from Afghanistan to Iran after which to Russia, he mentioned. What occurred subsequent was unclear: “Once they settle for Russia’s provide, the commando personnels’ telephones are turned off. They proceed very secretly,” the previous captain mentioned.
He and different former commandos who spoke from Afghanistan and Iran described dwelling in determined circumstances. “We’re very disillusioned. For 18 years, shoulder to shoulder, we carried out harmful duties with American, British, and Norwegian consultants. Now, I’m in hiding. I’m struggling each second,” mentioned the 35-year-old. He didn’t take up the provide, as he regards Russia as Afghanistan’s enemy. The previous Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and fought a 10-year conflict in opposition to U.S.-supported mujahideen. Extra just lately, Russia supported the Taliban’s insurgency, and it has shut ties with them now that they’re in energy, stopping in need of diplomatic recognition.
One other commando who fought alongside British particular forces mentioned he fled to Iran to flee Taliban loss of life squads and now worries he shall be arrested by Iranian police. Each commandos mentioned they wished to resettle in Britain however do not know contact the authorities to ask for cover.
Recruitment messages seen by International Coverage use the identical wording, suggesting a centralized operation. “Anybody who want to go to Russia with higher therapy and good sources: please ship me your title, father’s title, and your navy rank,” the messages say. Recipients are requested to assist recruit different members of their items. Afghan tv reported that the recruitment affords embody Russian citizenship.
The 35-year-old captain, father to 4 younger kids, mentioned he was nonetheless hopeful that he can be resettled in Britain. “We fought the sworn enemies of Afghanistan for 20 years, all around the nation, with excessive morale, on the aspect of Britain and the US,” the captain mentioned. “We’re hiding like prisoners now.”
