Assalamu Alaikum - Young Iraqis Recruited to Fight for Russia, Families Left in Anguish
Assalamu Alaikum. I read a report about young Iraqis, like Mohammed Imad, who traveled to Russia and ended up in the fighting, and wanted to share a simpler retelling. Please keep them in your duas.
Mohammed, a smiling 24-year-old in military clothes, posted a final video from a field that looked like Ukraine, with smoke behind him and a Russian flag in the caption: “Pray for me.” Months passed with only rumors - that he’d been captured, injured, had the flu, or killed. His mother, Zeinab, says he went to Russia without the family knowing after being tempted by promises of money and a Russian passport. “He went and never came back,” she said, crying and holding his photo. She asked, “What do we have to do with Russia and Ukraine?”
Many young Iraqis who lived through the wars here, the rise of Daesh and the long regional conflicts, now face unemployment and corruption at home. Some are being persuaded by social media influencers to sign up to fight for Russia with offers like a monthly wage far higher than local pay, a sign-up sum to “set them up,” passports, insurance and pensions - promises that sound too good to be true. Recruiters use apps and channels to reach desperate youths from Iraq and other Arab countries, even teaching basic Russian military phrases and offering help with visas and tickets.
Families are left searching. Mohammed’s mother begged him to come back, but his last call said he was going to war and to pray for him. His sister Faten spends hours looking online for any sign of him. A fellow Iraqi recruit who posts from Russia, known online as Abbas Al-Munaser, told her Mohammed was killed by a drone near Bakhmut and that his body was in a morgue. The family still wants confirmation and his body.
Others went with similar hopes. Alawi, who went with Mohammed, also vanished. Some recruits say they joined because there was no future at home and they want to support their families. One Iraqi online said he now sends his family around $2,500 a month after getting a Russian passport - money that seems like a lifeline to many. He admits, though, “there is death here,” and warns that the war uses advanced technology and drones.
Iraq’s authorities officially say they do not welcome young men going to fight for foreign causes. There have been arrests for trafficking people to fight abroad, and the Iraqi embassy warned against attempts to lure people into the war. For many back home, joining as a mercenary is seen as bringing shame, and some families hide the return of a dead relative because of the stigma.
This is a painful situation: young people driven by poverty and despair, families waiting for news, and communities divided. May Allah protect the innocent, grant patience to the worried families, and guide those who are misguided. Please remember them in your duas and share responsibly - encourage anyone you know tempted by such offers to consult family, local authorities, and religious leaders before making decisions that risk their lives.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/