The Russian military has begun recruiting US-trained Afghanistan commandos to bolster its forces in Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to replenish his forces and supplies in the protracted conflict.
Several Afghan military and security sources said the National Army’s elite command corps, which fought alongside US forces for nearly two decades, has begun to join Russian forces in Ukraine after the US seized them after its withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, according to a report by news website Foreign Policy.
The force, made up of 20,000 to 30,000 volunteer commandos, was persecuted in their home country after the US withdrew when the Taliban took control of the country. A few hundred senior officials were evacuated during the retreat, leaving thousands of soldiers trying to flee to neighboring countries or into hiding to avoid capture and execution.
A Defense Department spokesman told Fox News Digital that the Pentagon had “seen the reports” and that officials were “monitoring” the situation, but had nothing to say on the matter today. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.
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According to a May 2022 report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the US spent around $90 billion to build up Afghanistan’s national defense and security forces.
New Afghan commandos attend their graduation ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan on January 13, 2020.
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Rebekah Koffler, president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting and a former DIA intelligence officer specializing in Russia and Putin, told Fox News Digital that the situation could prove more complicated than initial reports suggested, as intelligence agencies suggest that Iran could help Russia with its recruitment.
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“Intelligence indicators suggest that Russian agents, possibly with Iranian support, are recruiting Afghan soldiers and refugees, including those trained by US forces to fight for Russia in Ukraine,” Koffler said.
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New Afghan commandos attend their graduation ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan on January 13, 2020.
“Following the hasty and disorganized US withdrawal from Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan security forces, translators and aid workers were forced to flee as the Taliban took control,” she said. “They became refugees in neighboring countries with no chance of survival.”
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“The Russians are taking this opportunity to fill in the gaps in their requirements that their own mobilization efforts cannot fill.”
New Afghan commandos attend their graduation ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan on January 13, 2020.
Recruitment represents another troubling consequence of President Biden’s withdrawal with lingering domino effects: many Afghan allies – potentially thousands – are still waiting to enter the US
Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that the report “represents one of the more unexpected consequences of President Biden’s hasty and catastrophic decision to precipitously withdraw from Afghanistan,” and warned of the significant impact he might have on the war in Ukraine.
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“Tens of thousands of commandos have been left in Afghanistan to fend for themselves, and many are unemployed and hunted by the Taliban,” said Roggio, who also edits the Long War Journal news site. “They easily recruit booty for the Russians provided they are willing to fight for the Russians.”
“If the Russians can recruit the commandos in large numbers, they can have an impact on the battlefield in Ukraine,” he added.