Ottawa is hoping to resettle several thousand Afghans through special immigrant programs designed for those who assisted Canadian military efforts in the war-torn country, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said on Thursday
TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2021) Ottawa is hoping to resettle several thousand Afghans through special immigrant programs designed for those who assisted Canadian military efforts in the war-torn country, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said on Thursday.
The first flight carrying Afghan refugees touched down in Toronto late Wednesday evening, carrying an unspecified number of people.
"We are on safe ground in saying that the program will, hopefully, resettle several thousand Afghans, who qualify," Mendicino told reporters.
The minister refused to divulge any details regarding the number of Afghans who were airlifted from Kabul yesterday, citing operational safety and remained tight-lipped about future timelines and targeted number of refugees.
"We want to get this operation done as quickly as possible," Medicino said, noting that Wednesday's flight was "not the last flight" with more to come in days and weeks ahead.
Mendicino also thanked Canadian veterans' groups, some of whom have undertaken direct action to help translators parallel to or in conjunction with the efforts led by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Global Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defense.
However, reaction to news of the first flight from veterans' group was lukewarm, according to reports, with those involved in the US-led mission saying that the operation is moving too slowly and not addressing the safety concerns of those at greatest risk.
According to reports, the flight was half-full and consisted predominantly of those who worked with the Canadian embassy in Kabul.
Canada, as well as other countries including the United States, are working to assist interpreters and other Afghans facing imminent danger amid the US withdrawal from the war-torn country. The Taliban terror group (banned in Russia) views facilitator of the US-led mission as traitors and has vowed retribution should it reclaim control of the country. Projections show the terror group is on track to reclaim control of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of foreign troops is completed.
The Canadian military, which was primarily active in Kandahar, exited the Afghan war in 2014.
