Canadian officials said on Saturday that a C-17 Globemaster transport plane evacuated another 106 Afghans from the chaotic Kabul airport on Friday and took them to a safe third country.
This flight is the second time Canada has left Kabul since Afghanistan fell into the hands of the Taliban last weekend. This development has destabilized the country, sowed chaos and caused many Afghans to support Western-led anti-Taliban forces in the past. Including Canadian ones.
With the specter of Taliban revenge hanging over them, Canadian officials vividly described the real challenge of freeing vulnerable Afghans from harm, and the impact of this chaos became apparent.
Desperate Afghans worked as interpreters for Western news organizations and NATO. They went into hiding, worrying about the safety of themselves and their families. They have been in contact with Canadian news organizations seeking help, including the Canadian News Agency.
Canadian military aircraft are “reconfigured” to allow as many people as possible to leave Kabul
“Our employees work day and night in a challenging, turbulent and dynamic environment. Will we continue to do everything possible to support Afghans when they need it?” said a senior Canadian government official who informed reporters on Saturday One of the three persons in the situation, on the condition that according to the agreement of such background briefing, they are anonymous.
Officials say that Canadian flights are affected by ground hazards and fragile situations, but as long as the security situation continues, airlifts will continue.
Officials said that although the airport is currently protected, it is still very dangerous to actually reach and pass through its surrounding areas.
This caused the crazy dynamics on the ground to face another obstacle: the huge Canadian aircraft did not have the ability to refuel in the air, so they had to take off with fewer passengers because they needed heavy fuel tanks to build their aircraft. Return safely.
Officials said that the C-17 only stayed on the ground for a short time, and their engines kept running because the passengers climbed into the huge belly of the plane from the rear entrance ramp. Seat belts seem to be a luxury.
An official said that in “very dynamic situations,” young pilots and aircraft managers are assessing risks, so if “they (passengers) are sitting on the floor, they can accept it.”
They said there were foreign citizens on the flight on Friday, but they did not disclose the number for security reasons.
Friday’s flight was carried out after the Canadian airlift on Thursday, which carried 175 fleeing Afghans and 13 foreign nationals.
All Afghans are interpreters and other workers who support Canada’s military and diplomatic efforts in this war-torn country.
The official explained that the Afghans on Thursday’s flight will fly to other countries, while the 106 on Friday will settle in Canada, noting that this effort is part of Canada’s commitment to resettle 20,000 refugees.
Immigration officials are working remotely in Ottawa and throughout the Middle East to process applications from Afghans trying to flee to Canada.
The staff of the Canadian Department of Global Affairs directly contacted applicants in Kabul via email and mobile phones to collect information for their applications and tell them when they can try to go to the airport.
So far, nearly 1,000 endangered Afghans have arrived in Canada. Officials say immigration officials are processing approximately 3,000 of the 6,000 claims by endangered Afghans seeking to flee.
Officials admitted that some Afghans who were heading for the Friday flight were unable to reach the airport, but their suggestion is to keep trying and if successful, they will be sent on the plane.
© 2021 Canadian Press
