Pakistan Recruits Former Afghan Soldiers for Balochistan Fight, Sources Say
Reports of Afghan military personnel hired by Pakistani security agencies to counter insurgency raise tensions in an already volatile region amid cross-border conflict.
As militancy surges in Pakistan's Balochistan Province, former Afghan security personnel are reportedly being recruited for pro-government armed groups, according to sources speaking to RFE/RL. A former Afghan soldier living in Pakistan received offers to work with Pakistani security agencies on counter-militancy operations, facilitated by a former police officer from Afghanistan's previous government who is well-housed in Pakistan with local official support. The Afghan facilitator has reportedly recruited hundreds of unemployed Afghan police and soldiers who crossed into Pakistan following Kabul's fall in August 2021, with sources describing the recruitment numbers as potentially reaching into the thousands. The recruitment adds a new layer to Balochistan's escalating security crisis, which now confronts both a decades-long Baloch separatist insurgency—led by groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army—and an expanding presence of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) in Pashtun-majority northern districts. Pakistani authorities have not confirmed the recruitment program exists. Meanwhile, Pakistan and Afghanistan face deteriorating relations, with Islamabad and the Taliban engaged in military conflict since February 2026 over TTP sanctuary in Afghanistan, following deadly attacks inside Pakistan in early 2026.
How could this affect you
Traced by who's actually in the path of this — not everyone is.
Possible
Afghan refugees and diaspora in Pakistan
Use of Afghan military personnel in Pakistani counter-insurgency could expose them to Taliban retaliation or Afghanistan-based militant groups hostile to those who served the previous government, especially given reports that Taliban leadership has discussed targeting such personnel.
Likely
Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral relations
Recruitment of Afghan fighters for Pakistan's internal security could deepen Taliban claims that Pakistan is recruiting forces against Taliban interests, further inflaming already critical tensions after 2026 military escalation, ceasefire attempts, and border closures.
Likely
Balochistan stability and governance
Deployment of foreign fighters—even those with military training—into complex counterinsurgency operations could complicate Pakistan's ability to establish legitimate state authority and could provoke Baloch nationalist sentiment by appearing to outsource security to foreigners.
Sources
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