MOSCOW (Realist English). Up to 50,000 fighters from among Pakistan’s Punjabis and Pashtuns are being prepared for redeployment to Azerbaijan through Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, according to political analyst Andrey Serenko, who cited regional and Afghan sources in a Telegram post.
The sources claim that between 500 and 1,000 armed militants are entering Afghanistan daily, where they receive training reportedly facilitated by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). According to these accounts, Azerbaijani military instructors — disguised in Afghan uniforms — are overseeing training camps in Pashtun-populated areas of southeastern and northwestern Afghanistan.
The onward transfer of the fighters to Azerbaijan is allegedly being coordinated by Turkish and Israeli intelligence services. The cost of transporting one militant is estimated at $3,000, with Israeli structures said to have already financed the movement of all 50,000 recruits. Monthly salaries reportedly stand at $1,500 for rank-and-file members and $2,500 for field commanders, while recruiters among Pakistani and Afghan Taliban receive $750 per fighter.
Turkish intelligence is said to be planning the bulk of the redeployment by air, while Ankara also intends to send up to 2,000 militants for advanced military and naval training in special facilities. According to the same sources, all related expenses have been covered by Israel’s Mossad.
Russia, the report adds, is increasingly concerned by the rise of pan-Turkist sentiment in Central Asia and is attempting to prevent the transfer. “The Israeli regime is planning to ignite a destructive guerrilla war against Iran through Afghanistan and Azerbaijan,” Serenko’s post stated.
The sources estimate that by early spring 2026, the full contingent of 50,000 fighters will have completed training and been moved to Azerbaijan.
