Former Afghan Official Reportedly Detained In Iran For Recruiting Fighters

A website close to Iran’s intelligence circles has confirmed reports that security forces arrested a former Afghan official on charges of recruiting fighters for Ukraine.

In an article published on Sunday, Mashregh News confirmed a report that Mohammad Hashim Raees, the former governor of Afghanistan’s Jowzjan province, was arrested on March 19 during a trip to Iran following a meeting with some Afghan refugees.

Mashregh News said Raees was a close friend of Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former Marshal in the Afghan National Army who was an enemy of Taliban and was recruiting Afghans in Iran without giving any details about the recruitment.

However, the Persian website of the Independent had quoted an unnamed source that Raees was arrested in Tehran because he wanted to recruit fighters among Afghans residing in Iran and send them to Ukraine as a unit to fight against the Russians.

The report claimed that Iranian security forces also confiscated more than $300,000 from Raees, noting that it was not clear whether this money was his personal funds or was intended to be used for other purposes.

According to the Independent, Raees promised the Afghan expatriates that they would receive Ukrainian citizenship at the end of the war, along with a handsome amount of money.