Russia recruiting Afghan commandos for military operation in Ukraine

Moscow/Kabul: US media has claimed that Russia is recruiting Afghan commandos who were once part of the Afghan National Army for military operations in Ukraine. The media said that the process is being carried out by the Wagner Group, a private military contractor in Russia. The American journal, Foreign Policy and the news agency Associated Press published news about this.

Western countries, including Ukraine, have claimed that the Russian army suffered heavy casualties in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Due to these casualties, Russia is said to have implemented a new recruitment process in the army last month and increased the use of Chechen troops and the Wagner Group. A few days ago, Russia had recalled certain military units deployed in Syria and other countries. Against this background, the claims of recruitment of Afghan commandos become noteworthy.

Last year, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, forcing thousands of Afghan soldiers out of work. The United States, the UK and other Western countries that trained these soldiers refused to shelter them. At the same time, the safety of these soldiers was also neglected while negotiating with the Taliban. After the establishment of the Taliban regime, Taliban forces began targeting Afghan soldiers and their families. Therefore, hundreds of soldiers took refuge in Iran and other Central Asian countries. However, it is said that these soldiers have become desperate as they have no money and no guarantee of family safety.

Against this backdrop, it has come to light that Russia’s Wagner Group has offered a salary of $1,500 per month, Russian citizenship and a family security guarantee. Nearly four hundred Afghan commandos who have taken refuge in Iran have accepted this proposal; some have already left for Russia. An Afghan official residing in Russia is said to have taken the initiative in this matter. Former officials in the Afghan army have confirmed this report. The number of these soldiers spending their days hiding in Afghanistan and who have taken refuge in other countries is around 10,000 to 20,000. The US media said that more than a thousand of these commandos were contacted and given a proposal. The Russian Defence Ministry has refused to comment, while the Wagner Group has dismissed these reports as a hoax.