 Iraq recruits Afghan commandos to fight in Ukraine. Afghan commandos in Iran are recruited by the Russian military to take part in the fighting in Ukraine. This was stated in the article published by Business Insider. Media reports citing former Afghan officers suggested that the Wagner Group, private military contractor with close ties to the Kremlin, was behind the recruitment campaign. Former Afghan commandos in Iran largely confirmed this. Many of the commandos confirmed having been contacted via WhatsApp or Signal and offered the opportunity to volunteer to fight in the war. The messages were brief and direct, offering a monthly salary of $1,500, a Russian residence permit for the soldiers, families, and even passports. Senior officers were promised salaries of $2,500. These commandos formed the tip of the armist spear in the fight against the Taliban and other insurgents. In the final years of the U.S. military's involvement in Afghanistan, a role that only expanded as U.S. troops began withdrawing in 2001. Immediately following the sudden collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021, the Afghan army disintegrated and the commandos were no exception. After the Taliban takeover, only about 1,000 Afghan commandos were evacuated to the U.S. while a few others made it to Europe and Turkey. About 20,000 were simply left behind. While many lower ranking soldiers in the army accepted an amnesty offered by the Taliban in return for returning over their weapons, most special operations forces did not. This was perhaps out of the pride born of being part of an elite fighting force, but it was also due to fear of reprisals given that the Afghan commandos had killed a significant number of Taliban during the war. It is no surprise then that many former Afghan special operations forces and their families have sought refuge in neighboring countries with several hundred in Pakistan and a few reportedly in Tajikstan. But above all, they have fled to Iran, where between 2,000 and 5,000 former commandos can be found, mostly concentrated in Tehran and Mashhad. For most of those who fled, especially the Farsi-speaking Tajiks and Hazaras, Iran was the refuge of choice. Nevertheless, while Iran has allowed them to enter, it has not proved to be a particularly welcome destination. The commandos there complain about a lack of income to support their families or else working long hours at menial jobs. As unregistered refugees, their children cannot enroll in schools. Most of them are not keen to join a new war, but they see no other viable option. What I most often heard from those who were contacted to fight in Ukraine is that even if they did not make it back alive, at least their families would be provided for. Although the recruiters contacting them do not identify themselves, they are almost certainly using information passed along by the Iranian authorities who collected the commandos' telephone numbers and details about their previous experience when they entered Iran. Moreover, the Iranian authorities opened recruitment offices in Tehran and Mashhad, where Afghans can volunteer to fight in Ukraine. Information about these offices is spreading by word of mouth, according to a former commando who went to Mashhad to register along with six others.