“Youth as merchandise”: Iraqi mercenaries in Ukraine
In Season 2, Episode 13 of the Guns for Hire podcast, host Alia Brahimi is joined by the Iraqi political analyst Mohammed Salih to discuss the legion of Iraqi men turning up on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine. They explore how poverty and political dysfunction in Iraq have been weaponised by mercenary recruitment networks – and how death in Europe has been packaged as an economic opportunity. They consider the possible complicity of prominent Iran-backed militias in Iraq, or even parts of the Iraqi state itself, and the ways in which Iraq’s recent history has made the sale of martial services a normalised part of survival.
Mohammed also talks listeners through the implications of Iraq’s November elections, which he describes as the most expensive in its history, with an average of $4-5 million paid in patronage spending for each seat. He also reflects on recent attacks against Iraqi Kurdistan by suspected Iranian proxies, and what options there might be for “disarming” pro-Iran militias in Iraq.
“There has been some reporting of Iran-backed militia groups facilitating this human trafficking recruitment scheme for the Russian side… There is the suspicion that there is some sort of an officially permissive environment that allowed this, because it is not happening on a small scale.”
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About the podcast
Guns for Hire podcast is a production of the Atlantic Council’s North Africa Initiative. Taking Libya as its starting point, it examines the causes and implications of the increasing use of mercenaries in armed conflicts.
The podcast features guests from many walks of life, from ethicists and historians to former mercenary fighters. It seeks to understand what the normalization of contract warfare reveals about the world we currently inhabit, the future of the international system, and what war may look like in the coming decades.
Further Listening
Through our Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, the Atlantic Council works with allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region.
Image: A fighter of the mobile fire team of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces aims a machine gun during a combat mission in the Kharkiv sector, Ukraine, on September 15, 2025 (Photo by Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto). NO USE RUSSIA. NO USE BELARUS. (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto)NO USE FRANCE
