Maiha Sarwary said he was still shocked by the loss of his two cousins. He said it was a government airstrike in his hometown of Badakshan province. Afghanistan Mid-July.
“They are all young members,” Savari said. He told Global News that he believed the government was planning a strike against Taliban members in the area, but ultimately destroyed the entire market in his hometown.
“All young people, like me, were killed in the bazaar when the airstrike happened.
Sarwary continues to show pictures of these two young people.
“Twelve people were killed, including two of my cousins,” he said.
“One of them was an engineer, and the other was a doctor who left three children… He was selling medicine. This happened to him in a store.”
Savari, who now lives in Scarborough, said that he has been in a state of tension since the Taliban began sweeping many parts of Afghanistan this summer-overthrowing capital cities including Kandahar.
Although he has lost two cousins, he and his family in Canada said that they are not sure whether other Sarwary family members in the country are still alive.
“My family is heartbroken. They don’t know what to do, what action to take from here,” he said.
This feeling is recognized by many in the large Afghan-Canadian community in Ontario. The 2016 census counted nearly 85,000 Afghans living in the province.
Baktash Nasseri is an Afghan Canadian who owns a traditional Afghan restaurant called Kabob Boys in Scarborough. He told Global News that many people in the Greater Toronto Area are supporting each other and waiting for the latest news in Afghanistan.
“They live hour by hour. They don’t know what will happen the next hour, what will happen at the end of the day,” Nasseri said.
“It’s very sad, and it’s heartbreaking to see it.”
He went on to add that his restaurant has donated money to charities that provide humanitarian assistance to the disaster-stricken areas.
“I can only say that I have experienced this. I know that even if I don’t know if there is food today or if I can walk on the street safely today, I know how difficult it is to spend this day,” said Nasseri.
The Canadian military recently stepped in to help evacuate the staff of the embassy in Kabul, and the Canadian government has pledged to help resettle the 20,000 Afghan refugees who may be most vulnerable to Taliban attacks.
But some leaders in the Afghan-Canadian community said that other countries need to come forward and help Afghan civilians caught in the crossfire.
Abdul Aziz Shahsamand of the Afghan-Canadian Islamic Community said: “Communities across the country turned a blind eye to us and did not respond to the situation.”
“Look at least, the town is declining.”
Shah Samand also stated that he believes Canada should send troops into the country to help local civilians.
“Canada and the political leadership need to do more than just those who are in trouble [embassy] The compound that used to work with foreign troops also includes ordinary people on the ground,” he said.
“Food shortages, fuel shortages, water shortages.”
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
