On Monday (August 23), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau opened the door to sanctions against the Taliban, stating that the Islamic organization that now controls Afghanistan is still a “terrorist entity.”
“Canada has long recognized that the Taliban are terrorists and provides shelter for terrorists. That’s why they are on the terrorist list. So, yes, we can talk about sanctions,” Trudeau told reporters.
On Tuesday, the leaders of the G7 group of wealthy nations — Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States — will hold a virtual meeting in Afghanistan.
Trudeau said that he “looks forward” to “a dialogue with my G7 leaders soon, because we are considering what else we can do.”
Britain, which currently holds the G7 presidency, said that the lifting of existing sanctions “will depend on the actions of the Taliban.”
This Islamic organization came to power in mid-August, nearly 20 years after its first regime was overthrown in 2001 due to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.
The United States and its allies are scrambling to withdraw tens of thousands of people from the country before the August 31 deadline for US President Joe Biden to withdraw all troops.
But because the European Union and the United Kingdom stated that it would be impossible for everyone to leave by then, Biden is under pressure to extend the deadline.
Britain said on Monday that it would urge the United States to extend the ban, while the Taliban warned that any delay would lead to “consequences.”
Trudeau did not disclose his position on delaying the deadline.
He said that Canada’s focus is still to “allow as many Afghans as possible to evacuate safely.”
A senior Canadian government official said on Monday that the situation near Kabul Airport is still “turbulent” and thousands of terrorist Afghans who fled the Taliban have gathered for several days to try to board the evacuation flight.
Canada resumed flights to Kabul on Thursday for the first time since the Taliban occupied the Afghan capital.
There were four flights from Kabul to Canada, and the most recent flight carried 436 Canadian and Afghan nationals on Sunday.
Canadian officials said that under a new special immigration program, nearly 900 Afghans have arrived in Canada. Canada recently pledged to accept 20,000 Afghan refugees under this plan.
