Multiple Afghan military and security sources told Foreign Policy that members of Afghanistan’s National Army Commando Corps say they are being contacted with offers to join the Russian military to fight in Ukraine. Before the U.S. ceded Afghanistan to the Taliban in August 2021, the U.S. spent almost $90 billion building the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. The commandos had been trained by U.S. Navy SEALs and the British Special Air Service. After the U.S. withdrawal, between 20,000 to 30,000 volunteer commandos were left behind.
A former senior Afghan security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said their integration into the Russian military “would be a game-changer” on the Ukrainian battlefield. Another official who was also an Afghan commando officer told Foreign Policy he is certain that Russia's mercenary Wagner Group is behind Russia’s recruitment of Afghanistan’s special forces.
