Afghan Military Refugees in Iran 'Under Pressure' to Join War in Ukraine

Several former members of Afghanistan's military and security forces, now refugees in Iran, say they have agreed 'out of necessity' to fight for Russia in the Ukraine war. There are no precise figures on the number of Afghan military personnel who have departed Iran for Russia's war against Ukraine, but some sources indicate that their participation has recently increased. One former military member of the previous Afghan government, who sought refuge in Iran after the Taliban regained control, told Radio Free Europe: 'Recently, the pressures on our migrants and our poor people who have sought refuge here (in Iran) have increased, and some of our military friends and colleagues were arrested and deported by the Islamic Republic, falling into the hands of the Taliban, where they were severely tortured and imprisoned.' This 38-year-old man, who prefers to remain anonymous and served for about 12 years in Afghanistan's security forces, says he is struggling with many problems in Iran and feels compelled to accept the offer to join the war against Ukraine to avoid expulsion from Iran: 'We are at a crossroads of necessity; we had to fill out these forms recently, about a month ago, and some of our friends had filled them out about three to four months ago and were transferred. We had two choices; either we stay in Iran until we are arrested and fall into the hands of the Taliban and be tortured, leaving our wives and children devastated and distressed, or we fill out these forms.' Reports indicate that last week, a former military member in Kabul committed suicide when the Taliban arrested his wife and took her away. Some sources say Mr. Rahimdel had hidden from the Taliban, but upon hearing about his wife's arrest, he took his own life. The Taliban have not commented on the arrest of Colonel Rahimdel's wife. This military member, referring to the case of Colonel Rahimdel, states: 'Until now, our fear and concern were that we thought our lives were in danger; recently it has become clear that our lives, property, honor, and the safety of our wives and children are also at risk. Our final decision was made after the incident involving Colonel Rahimdel. Some of my friends and I, although we were not in favor of going about five to six months ago when these forms were being circulated, made our final decision after hearing about the arrest of Colonel Rahimdel's wife in Kabul.' The Taliban have claimed to have announced a general amnesty and will not harm the military and civil servants of the previous government, but in August 2023, the United Nations reported that over 200 soldiers and former government employees had been killed in targeted extrajudicial actions following the Taliban's return to power. Other soldiers of the former Afghan republic living illegally in Iran face a similar fate. Another soldier, aged 35, states that he fought against the Taliban for over ten years: 'We are at a crossroads; if we had stayed there, the Taliban would have tortured us, and I had to travel. Now that we are under severe pressure in Iran due to being migrants, we have filled out the form to go to Russia, as I cannot return to my homeland due to the Taliban government.' In mid-2022, three former Afghan generals told the Associated Press that thousands of Afghan special forces trained by the U.S. who fled to Iran after the Taliban regained power in 2021 are now being recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine. According to them, Russia offers $1,500 monthly to any soldier who accepts this request and promises to shelter them and their families. There are no exact statistics on how many Afghan military personnel have departed Iran for Russia's war against Ukraine, but some sources indicate that their participation has recently increased. Although the Islamic Republic of Iran officially presents itself as neutral in the Ukraine war, it supports Russia and has even provided military equipment, including suicide drones 'Shahed' that are primarily used against Ukraine. The European Union and the UK have also imposed sanctions on Iran for transferring ballistic missiles and suicide drones to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine. The Iranian government has not officially commented on the recruitment of Afghan citizens for the war in Ukraine, but some political analysts believe these recruitments are facilitated by the intelligence and security apparatus of the Islamic Republic of Iran. General Ajmal Omar Shinwari, a military expert and former spokesman for the armed forces of the former Afghan republic, confirmed the distribution of forms among former military personnel in Iran but expressed ignorance about their participation in the Ukraine war: 'Based on the information we have and our relations with our military personnel, such invitations and forms have indeed been distributed among the military, but we do not yet have precise information indicating that a number of military personnel have accepted it and are actually present in this war.' When asked how many Afghan nationals the Iranian government has used in its proxy wars, General Shinwari replied: 'For a very long time, out of necessity, Afghans have unfortunately been used by both Iran and Pakistan for their foreign wars, but they were Afghans who were either ideologically or religiously prepared by these two countries and were employed in their proxy wars in other countries.' Since early 2023, Iran has expelled over 750,000 Afghan migrants without residence permits and stated that this number will reach two million by the end of the current solar year.