After Russia suffered losses in its "special military operation" in Ukraine in recent weeks, western media reports revealed that the Russian military is recruiting Afghan special forces and commando units to fight in Ukraine.
US magazine Foreign Policy, on October 25, reported that some former commandos were being contacted on WhatsApp and Signal with offers to join what some experts referred to as a Russian "foreign legion" to fight in Ukraine. News of the recruitment efforts has caused alarm in Afghanistan's former military and security circles, with members saying up to 10,000 former commandos could be amenable to the Russian offers believed to be sent out by Wagner Group, mainly because they feel that the US abandoned them after its withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The reports came out as both Russia and Ukraine are attempting to use foreign fighters to reinforce their military capabilities in the war. Recruitment of foreign fighters became a pattern in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Favorable Environment
Some believe a favorable environment might drive Russia's success in recruiting the Afghan commandos due to the following reasons:
1- Washington abandoning Afghan soldiers:
Some 20,000 to 30,000 Afghan special forces soldiers fought alongside the US troops in the war that went on for two decades, but only a few hundred senior officers were evacuated when the republic collapsed. Many commandos did not work directly with the US military and were not eligible for special US visas. After the Taliban seized power in late August 2021, fearing revenge, numerous military, police, and intelligence service personnel and officers loyal to the ousted government fled to neighboring Iran, Pakistan, and other countries.
2- Taliban's threats:
While over 80,000 endangered Afghans who worked with or fought alongside the US government and other western governments were evacuated when the Taliban was marching to Kabul, tens of thousands were left behind. Human Rights Watch has said more than 100 former Afghan soldiers, intelligence, and police officers were killed or forcibly "disappeared" just three months after the Taliban took over, despite its leadership's promises of amnesty. The United Nations, in a report released in mid-October, documented 160 extrajudicial killings and 178 arrests of the former Afghan government and military officials.
After the Taliban refused to accept them into its new army following the US withdrawal from the country, former commandos fled the country and fell victim to job offers to work as mercenaries. Accordingly, they became easy prey for Moscow's promises of attractive salaries.
3- Moscow's alluring offers:
On September 20, on the eve of Moscow's order of partial mobilization" of reservists for the war on Ukraine, Russia's Duma passed amendments to the legislation simplifying the acquisition of Russian citizenship. According to the bill, foreign citizens who signed contracts for service in the Russian armed forces, army, or military formations for at least a year can obtain Russian citizenship. In the following weeks, foreigners from Central Asian countries received offers of jobs in the Russian army for salaries of more than USD 3000 a month. Later, on November 4, President Vladimir Putin ordered a one-time grant of 195000 rubles (USD 3200) for contractors called to fight in Ukraine.
On the other hand, Wagner is trying to reinforce its presence in Ukraine by recruiting Afghan commandos and security personnel who fled to Iran. Three former Afghan generals told the Associated Press on October 31, 2022, that the Russians want to attract thousands of the former elite Afghan commandos into a "foreign legion" with offers of steady USD 1,500-a-month payments and promises of safe havens for themselves and their families.
4- Iran encouraging Russia:
In May 2022, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said that even before Kabul fell to the Taliban, around 3,000 Afghan security forces consisting of high-ranking officers to foot soldiers, along with their military equipment and vehicles, crossed the border into Iran. However, most of them were sent back after the Taliban issued a general amnesty.
Shortly after the Taliban reassumed power, Iran offered temporary visas to the Afghans who could prove that they served in the Afghan army. General Hibatullah Alizai, the last Afghan army chief before the Taliban took over, said much of the Russian recruiting effort is focused on Tehran and Mashhad, a city near the Afghan border. Other reports say that Iranian authorities gave Afghan commandos, who fled to Iran, an ultimatum to either leave the country or fight with the Russian forces in Ukraine.
It is unclear how many Afghan special forces members who fled to Iran have been courted by the Russians. However, one source told the AP he is communicating through the WhatsApp chat service with about 400 other commandos who are considering offers, which include visas for themselves and their families.
Barriers to Recruitment
Barriers to Moscow's efforts to recruit former Afghan commandos and personnel to fight alongside its forces in Ukraine can be outlined as follows:
1- Washington's wooing:
US politicians and military commanders have growing concerns about their country's inaction regarding the evacuation of their Afghan allies who fought alongside US troops against the Taliban for 20 years. They claim that such inaction would mean that the abandoned commandos have no choice but to join the Taliban or regional adversaries.
In August 2022, an investigation led by Congress Republicans said there is a "major national security risk" because those Afghan commandos who fled to Iran "know the US military and intelligence community's tactics, techniques, and procedures."
To prevent that possibility and undermine Russian or other adversaries' attempts to recruit former Afghan personnel, groups of US veterans organized to help evacuate Afghan allies from Afghanistan to the US or other allied countries such as Canada or Australia. They even recruited them to fight alongside Ukrainian forces against Russia. On the other hand, as part of negotiations in Doha, Washington might try to convince the Taliban to re-integrate former Afghan commandos into its military and security institutions.
2- Historical animosity between Afghanistan and Russia:
Afghans, including the Taliban, have an adversary stance towards Russia following its invasion of Afghanistan in the late 1970s. Amid the ongoing tensions between the US and Russia over the fate of former Afghan commandos, the Taliban might well move to recruit and re-integrate them into the Afghan military. The issue is not only that Moscow is recruiting trained personnel, but it would mean that Afghanistan can be involved in the war in Ukraine, which would endanger its national security.
On the other side, Russia has doubts and concerns about the loyalty and efficiency of former Afghan commandos, who were trained by US troops in Afghanistan for 20 years, may have a different military doctrine, and received training on various military equipment. Moreover, there are risks involved in recruiting mercenaries. In mid-October 2022, at least 11 people were killed at a Russian military training ground when two attackers opened fire on a group of volunteers who wished to fight in Ukraine.
Amid Russia's growing need to fill a shortage of personnel by using experienced fighters and relying on mercenaries from Chechnya and other Central Asian countries to reinforce its operation in Ukraine, its plans for recruiting former Afghan commandos might seem justifiable. Nevertheless, the potential influence of the highly-trained and experienced personnel to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, remains an outstanding controversial issue. That is, while some analysts believe that former Afghan commandos' participation in this war would be a game changer in favor of Russia, military experts believe that Afghan military forces are so disparate that no significant numbers of them can be recruited to form a uniform combat force. That is predominantly due to the fact that they already failed to defend Kabul against the Taliban. Moreover, the size of former Afghan commandos might be exaggerated, as they are perhaps estimated to be tens of thousands or even no more than few thousands.
