Canada has expelled about 1,000 Afghans since the Taliban captured it

Pointing to the dangerous situation around the airport in the Afghan capital, Canada has expelled about 1,000 Afghans from their country since the Taliban seized control of Kabul last Sunday.

“To date, we have expelled nearly 1,000 Afghan civilians who were at risk of retaliation for their work with Canada and its allies,” they told a telephone news conference.

Of those expelled by the Canadian government, some were not sentenced to Canada.

Officials explained that about 800 Afghans have arrived in Canada under the new special immigration program.

Canada recently pledged to provide 20,000 Afghan refugees under the program.

The fall of the Afghan government last Sunday created a wave of panic in the country, marked by human rights abuses by the previous Taliban regime (1996-2001). Many Afghans who have collaborated with Western allies fear a retaliation by the Taliban.

“Conditions on the ground are dangerous, chaotic and hopeless,” Canadian officials said of a “dangerous mission.”

“Currently there is chaos and a bad situation inside and outside the Kabul airport,” they said.

Canada, which has sent two military jets for the first time since the Taliban captured the capital, began flights to Kabul on Thursday.

The United States has announced that it has evacuated about 17,000 people since August 14.

ast / rle / yo / mr