Report: Russia Recruiting US-Trained Afghan Commandos

Facts

• The Associated Press reported Monday that Russia is recruiting former Afghan special forces — who were allied with US troops in Afghanistan and fled to Iran following the US withdrawal — to fight in Ukraine.
• According to three former Afghan generals, Moscow aims to enlist thousands of members of the elite former US-trained National Army Commando Corps in a "foreign legion." The ex-servicemen — trained by US Navy SEALs and Army Green Berets — are reportedly offered a monthly payment of $1.5K and security to avoid deportation to Afghanistan.
• The elite unit consisted of about 20-30K volunteer troops who faced persecution after the US troops left Afghanistan and the Taliban regained control. While a few hundred high-ranking officials were evacuated during the withdrawal, many others fled to neighboring countries.
• As Foreign Policy reported last week, citing unnamed Afghan military and security sources, Russia's Wagner Group is believed to be behind the supposedly Iranian-backed recruitment of the commandos to bolster Moscow's war effort in Ukraine.
• While Washington and Moscow have so far not responded to requests for comment, a spokesman for Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin reportedly called the claims "crazy nonsense."
• However, before these recent reports, it was alleged that the Wagner Group had recruited fighters from countries other than Afghanistan. Several months ago, the US Dept. of Defense claimed that Syrian and Libyan mercenaries were fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine.

Sources: Associated Press, Al Jazeera, FOX News, foreignpolicy, and middleeastmonitor.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Drive. The fact that former elite Afghan soldiers could end up fighting alongside Russia in the Ukrainian war is a remarkable irony in history. Washington only has itself to blame for this turn of events, having abandoned tens of thousands of Afghan US-trained soldiers after twenty years of war. Not for the first time, Washington's misguided military ventures could end up turning against the US itself.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. The fact that Russia is recruiting Afghan mercenaries shows one thing above all: Russia is incapable of bringing Ukraine to its knees. Therefore, it's not surprising that Wagner recruited prison inmates to fight on the front lines. Given the incompetence of the Russian army and the declining morale among Wagner's troops, it's wishful thinking to believe that Afghan mercenaries will make any difference.