2 years ago
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Afghan peculiar forces soldiers who fought alongside American troops and past fled to Iran aft the United States’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan past twelvemonth are present being recruited by the Russian subject to combat successful Ukraine, the Associated Press quality bureau has reported.
Three erstwhile Afghan generals told the AP the Russians privation to pull thousands of the erstwhile elite Afghan commandos into a “foreign legion” offering a steady, $1,500-a-month wage and promising a harmless haven for themselves and their families truthful they tin debar deportation location to what galore presume would beryllium death astatine the hands of the Taliban.
“They don’t privation to spell combat — but they person nary choice,” said 1 of the generals, Abdul Raof Arghandiwal, adding that the twelve oregon truthful commandos successful Iran with whom helium has texted fearfulness deportation most.
“They inquire me, ‘Give maine a solution? What should we do? If we spell backmost to Afghanistan, the Taliban volition termination us.’”
Arghandiwal said the recruiting is led by the Russian mercenary unit Wagner Group.
Another general, Hibatullah Alizai, the past Afghan service main earlier the Taliban took over, said the effort is besides being helped by a erstwhile Afghan peculiar forces commandant who lived successful Russia and speaks the language.
The Russian recruitment follows months of warnings from US soldiers who fought with Afghan peculiar forces that the Taliban was intent connected sidesplitting them and that they mightiness articulation with US enemies to enactment live oregon retired of choler with their erstwhile ally.
A Republican Party legislature study successful August specifically warned of the information that the Afghan commandos — trained by US Navy SEALs and Army Green Berets — could extremity up giving accusation astir US tactics to the Islamic State group, Iran oregon Russia, oregon combat for them.
“We didn’t get these individuals retired arsenic we promised, and present it’s coming location to roost,” said Michael Mulroy, a retired CIA serviceman who served successful Afghanistan, adding that the Afghan commandos are highly-skilled, fierce fighters. “I don’t privation to spot them successful immoderate battlefield, frankly, but surely not warring the Ukrainians.”
Mulroy was sceptical, however, that Russians would beryllium capable to transportation galore Afghan commandos to articulation them due to the fact that astir helium knew were driven by the tendency to marque ideology enactment successful their state alternatively than being guns for hire.
The recruitment comes arsenic Russian forces reel from Ukrainian subject advances and Russian President Vladimir Putin pursues a sputtering mobilisation effort, which has prompted hundreds of thousands of Russian men to fly the state to flight service.
Russia’s Defence Ministry did not respond to a petition for comment.
A spokesperson for Yevgeny Prigozhin, who precocious acknowledged being the laminitis of the Wagner Group, dismissed the thought of an ongoing effort to enlistee erstwhile Afghan soldiers arsenic “crazy nonsense”.
The US Defense Department besides did not reply to a petition for comment, but a elder authoritative suggested the recruiting is not astonishing fixed that Wagner has been trying to motion up soldiers successful respective different countries.
It was unclear however galore Afghan peculiar forces members who fled to Iran person been courted by the Russians, but 1 told the AP helium is communicating done the WhatsApp chat work with astir 400 different commandos who are considering offers.
He said galore similar him fearfulness deportation and are aggravated astatine the US for abandoning them.
“We thought they mightiness make a peculiar programme for us, but nary 1 adjacent thought astir us,” said the erstwhile commando, who requested anonymity due to the fact that helium fears for himself and his family. “They conscionable near america each successful the hands of the Taliban.”
The commando said his connection included Russian visas for himself arsenic good arsenic his 3 children and woman who are inactive successful Afghanistan. Others person been offered extensions of their visas successful Iran. He said helium is waiting to spot what others successful the WhatsApp groups determine but thinks galore volition instrumentality the deal.
US veterans who fought with Afghan peculiar forces person described to the AP astir a twelve cases, nary confirmed independently, of the Taliban going location to location looking for commandos inactive successful the country, torturing oregon sidesplitting them, oregon doing the aforesaid to household members if they are obscurity to beryllium found.
Human Rights Watch has said much than 100 erstwhile Afghan soldiers, quality officers and constabulary were killed oregon forcibly “disappeared” conscionable 3 months aft the Taliban took implicit contempt promises of amnesty.
The United Nations, successful a study successful mid-October, documented 160 extrajudicial killings and 178 arrests of erstwhile authorities and subject officials.
The member of an Afghan commando successful Iran who has accepted the Russian connection said Taliban threats marque it hard to refuse. He said his member had to fell for 3 months aft the autumn of Kabul, shuttling betwixt relatives’ houses portion the Taliban searched his home.
“My member had nary different prime than accepting the offer,” said the commando’s brother, Murad, who would lone springiness his archetypal sanction due to the fact that of fearfulness the Taliban mightiness way him down. “This was not an casual determination for him.”
Former Afghan service main Alizai said overmuch of the Russian recruiting effort is focused connected Tehran and Mashhad, a metropolis adjacent the Afghan borderline wherever galore person fled. The generals who spoke to the AP, including a third, Abdul Jabar Wafa, said nary of their contacts successful Iran were alert of however galore had taken up the offer.
“You get subject grooming successful Russia for 2 months, and past you spell to the conflict lines,” work 1 substance connection a erstwhile Afghan worker successful Iran sent to Arghandiwal. “A fig of unit person gone, but they person mislaid interaction with their families and friends altogether. The nonstop statistic are unclear.”
An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 Afghan peculiar forces fought with the Americans during the two-decade war, and lone a fewer 100 elder officers were airlifted retired erstwhile the US subject withdrew from Afghanistan.
Since galore of the Afghan commandos did not enactment straight for the US military, they were not eligible for peculiar US visas.
“They were the ones who fought to the truly past minute. And they never, never, ne'er talked to the Taliban. They ne'er negotiated,” Alizai said. “Leaving them down is the biggest mistake.”
English (US)