UK-trained commandos lured by Russia

Afghan special forces personnel in Iran left vulnerable to recruitment in Ukraine War after Britain abandons them

Lighthouse Reports and partners revealed a year ago that Afghan commandos who served closely with the British, in units known as the Triples, had been left behind in Afghanistan, resulting in dozens being tortured and in some cases murdered by the Taliban. Following this, the UK government admitted it had made a mistake and pledged to review around 2,000 rejected cases under its Afghan relocation scheme of applicants with credible evidence of links to specialist units.

But nine months on, Lighthouse Reports, The Independent and Etilaat Roz have found that many former Triples are still waiting to hear from the UK government, and that military recruiters have meanwhile been circling with offers to fight for Russia in Ukraine or for Iranian-backed forces in the Middle East.

The recruitment effort is taking place in Iran, where many former Triples are now living after fleeing the Taliban. Some said they were approached for recruitment initially by contacts within the former Afghan army or security forces over the phone; others said Afghan people smugglers approached them in person. One former army doctor said he got as far as meeting Russians from the embassy in Iranian capital Tehran face-to-face about the recruitment.

Separately, we obtained evidence that Ryan Routh, the man charged with Donald Trump’s attempted assassination, had tried to encourage former Triples to fight for Ukraine against Russia days before he was charged with attempting to assassinate the now president-elect.

While all former Triples we spoke to have turned down the offers as they hold out hope of relocation to the UK, desperation is growing as the Iranian government cranks up pressure on Afghan refugees in the country. Mass deportations and new restrictions have left ex-commandos in fear of being sent back to Afghanistan and into the arms of Taliban, causing them to reconsider offers they had previously rejected.

METHODS

We contacted more than 100 former Triples from two lists we obtained for our Abandoned Afghan Commandos investigation. More than 60 responded, of whom we established that 12 had been relocated to the UK, with the remaining were either still in Afghanistan or in Iran or a number of other countries.

Of the 14 we heard back from who said they were in Iran, the majority had heard about the offers to fight in Ukraine and the Middle East, and six reported having directly received such offers.

A number of former Triples sent us forms they said they were given and asked to fill out after expressing interest in fighting in Ukraine. We analysed these forms, which asked for personal details and contact information – although it wasn’t possible to verify their veracity.

We obtained screen shots of WhatsApp messages in which a phone number matching the one on Ryan Routh’s website discusses with former Triples how they can go to Ukraine to fight against Russia. The messages are dated 12 September – just days before Routh allegedly tried to assassinate Trump at a Florida golf course.

STORYLINES

Mahibullah, who fought alongside British troops in one of the Triples units, Commando Force (CF) 333, for 15 years and fled to Iran with his wife and children in 2022, is among the Triples who have been approached with an offer to fight for Russia.

He turned it down because he was hopeful that he would hear from the UK soon, but said there was a “very big risk” of commandos taking up the Russian offer if the UK didn’t relocate them soon. The Iranian government plans to deport around two million migrants, the majority of them Afghan, by March and new restrictions cull any of the limited freedoms that Afghans had.

“If [Iran] deports me to Afghanistan, I’ll get killed there. And if they send me to Russia, I’ll get killed there as well. So if I’m getting killed I’d prefer to do it in a way that gives my family a better life,” said Mahibullah.

“I would definitely consider [taking up the offer] if it gets longer and longer. How can we wait like this? The current situation is that it’s almost impossible to live. You are not able to find a job and as a refugee we only have so many savings. There will be an end line for me and I will pick one of these offers.”