Why Russia and Iran are recruiting Afghan commandos to fight in Ukraine? US-trained Afghan commandos are set to fight the West

At the end of 2022, numerous reports circulated on international media that some former Afghan commandos of Afghan National Forces that were dismissed in 2021 following the U.S. troops' withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's rose to power are now being recruited by Iran and Russia to fight in the Ukraine war. Shortly after the Taliban's return, many former Afghan servicemen and officers sought asylum in neighbourhood countries like Uzbekistan, Iran, Türkiye, India, and Pakistan due to the Taliban's possible cleansing and repressions.

As a result of being expelled from their homeland and abandoned by the Western coalition, the US-trained Afghan commandos became easy targets for recruitment by third countries as contractors. According to an independent investigation, former Afghan commandos in Iran confirmed the rumours, having been contacted via WhatsApp or Signal and offered the opportunity to volunteer to fight in the war. The messages were brief and direct, offering a monthly salary of $1,500, a Russian residence permit for the soldiers' families and even passports. Senior officers were promised salaries of $2,500. Reportedly, the recruitment is happening right now in Iran and Afghanistan, according to Abdul Raof Arghandiwal, former major general and ex-commander of the 207th Zafar Corps and ex-chief of staff to the then-minister of defence.

The continuous reports raise the question of what happened to the roughly 22,000 U.S.-trained Afghan special operations forces that made up the core of the much larger Afghan army. These commandos formed the tip of the army’s spear in the fight against the Taliban and other insurgents in the final years of the U.S. military’s involvement in Afghanistan, a role that only expanded as U.S. troops began withdrawing in 2021.

The US-trained light infantry force that fought side by side with Allied troops for nearly two decades could join Russia’s savage war campaign. It is believed the shadowy Wagner Group is behind the recruitment drive, exploiting the jobless commandos, though there is still no reliable source to confirm it. Wagner Group, a shadowy Russian mercenary group with a presence in Syria, Ukraine, and African countries, including Libya, has developed the know-how and necessary infrastructure to recruit and handle foreign mercenaries within their organization.

However, Zamir Kabulov, Russian Special Representative for Afghanistan, called the reports about the recruitment of former Afghan soldiers by Russia for the Ukraine war false. Nevertheless, several former Afghan security forces members have told Afghanistan International that Moscow has been recruiting former Afghan army commandos through Iran to fight in Ukraine.

When the Taliban takeover took place, only about 1,000 Afghan commandos were evacuated to the U.S. a few others managed to leave the country, while about 20,000 were left behind. Some lower-ranking soldiers in the Afghan army accepted an amnesty offered by the Taliban in return for turning over their weapons, but most special operations forces did not. This was perhaps out of the pride born of being part of an elite fighting force, but it was also due to fear of reprisals, given that the Afghan commandos had killed a significant number of Taliban during the war.

Seemingly, some former Tajik and Hazara commandos in the army found it easier to seek refuge in Iran due to the cultural-historical proximity of the country. Even though Iran welcomed former Afghan commandos to take refugees on its soil, it now facilitates the recruitment process of those desperate commandos to be used in Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine. Until today, there is no clear data on how many former Russia and Iran recruited Afghan commandos to fight in Ukraine, though one of the former commandos in his interview emphasized that “their integration into the Russian military “would be a game-changer” on the Ukrainian battlefield.”

In fact, the chances of a mass flow of Afghan commandos to Ukraine to fight in Russia's unjustified and brutal war are low, but some could make dangerous decisions. Hence, those Afghan commandos who decide to join the war will be sacrificed. As for Tehran, it will likely continue to support Russia in Ukraine, particularly amid tactical and heavy losses in the battleground. Indeed, such a bizarre decision is in Tehran's interest, given the rising tensions between Iran and the West. Iran will further attempt to galvanize the situation around Ukraine in order to establish additional leverage over the West, using Russia as a bargaining chip and recruiting other nationals to join the war against Ukraine.