Canada will expedite the processing of family members of interpreters and others who support its mission Afghanistan Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said on Friday that in order to evacuate as many approved personnel as possible as soon as possible.
Mendicino’s remarks came as Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan confirmed that the first Canadian plane full of Afghan refugees left Kabul Airport with 188 people on Thursday night.
In an interview with Canadian media, Mendicino said that his department is increasing its handling of Afghan refugees by increasing resources for the operation.
Canadian military aircraft are “reconfigured” to allow as many people as possible to leave Kabul
He said the government does not require Afghan passengers to provide passports or COVID-19 negative tests, and postponed biometric screening to a third country, where it is safe to screen evacuees and government officials.
“We now have the two largest airlines flying back and forth from Kabul. We will keep these flights running for as long as possible,” he said.
Mendicino said the main obstacle remains the Taliban checkpoint that Afghans must pass through to reach the Kabul airport.
“We hope that every Afghan who meets the conditions of our plan can pass to the airport safely,” he said.
The Ministry of National Defense announced this week that it has deployed two C-17 transport aircraft, regularly taking off from Kabul.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Jessica Lamirander said in an email on Thursday that the C-17s have been reconfigured to maximize the number of passengers they can carry, and that they have begun to enter and exit Kabul.
exist A tweet, Sajan said that Thursday’s flight took 175 Afghans and 13 foreigners.
“As long as local conditions permit, Canadian flights will continue,” he wrote.
Mendicino said that nearly 1,000 Afghan refugees have arrived in Canada.
Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau said: “We have been working closely with our allies, especially with the United States and the United Kingdom, to ensure that we are united as effectively as possible and bring as many Afghans as possible together. Bring it back to safety,” at the Winnipeg campaign station.
Canada has reached an agreement that the two military aircraft will resume “regular” flights to Kabul
He said there will be more round-trip flights from Kabul on Friday.
An interpreter who is currently in Kabul waiting to be evacuated to Canada with his wife and three children said that Taliban militants knocked on his door on Friday morning and asked him what he did for a living and why he was not in his hometown.
An unnamed translator in the Canadian media to protect his safety said he had to lie to the militants, telling them that he works in a bakery and that he works in Kabul.
“They are searching every house where I live,” said an interpreter who worked with the Canadian Armed Forces in Kandahar.
He said he submitted an application for resettlement in Canada last month, and he and his wife visited the Canadian Embassy in Kabul on August 5, when the Taliban controlled the Afghan capital.
He said he has not received any news from the Canadian government since then.
“It’s very dangerous in Kabul,” he said. “Things are getting worse all the time.”
He said he could go to Kabul Airport, but he was not sure if he could go in with his family because there were many people waiting outside.
“The situation outside is very difficult,” he said. “I saw some videos outside the door? They shot in the air just to scare people.”
Canada is trying to evacuate Afghans, including former translators and support staff and their families, who are now at risk of being arrested by the Taliban or worse for cooperating with the Canadian military and other organizations.
The Trudeau government last week promised to resettle the 20,000 refugees who had fled Afghanistan.
For weeks, veterans and advocates have been complaining about the way the government handled the crisis. Their concerns include complicated forms that need to be filled out by Afghans, unrealistic and confusing application requirements, and the department’s complete silence after submitting paperwork.
© 2021 Canadian Press
