Canada shuts Kabul embassy after evacuating personnel; condemns crisis in Afghanistan

The Foreign Ministry in Ottawa said on Sunday that Canada's embassy in Kabul will be temporarily closed after personnel were evacuated before the Taliban militants entered the Afghan capital city. Canadian soldiers are on their way back to their homeland, according to the ministry. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remarked that Canada strongly condemns the growing violence in Afghanistan. He even said that they are devastated by the Afghan people's current predicament. The embassy will reopen whenever conditions permitted normal operations under sufficient protection, according to the government. 

A few days back, PM Trudeau also claimed that the Canadian government had no intentions to recognise the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government. He stated this a few hours after a statement was published by the conservatives with similar proclamations. During the third day of the federal election drive, Trudeau told reporters that even when the terrorist group took power 20 years ago, Canada did not recognise them as a legal government. 

He went on to say that the Taliban had seized Afghanistan by force and by overthrowing a legally elected democratic government. The Prime minister even added that under Canadian law, they are a recognised terrorist group. He also stated that the country's priority is getting people out of Afghanistan, and the Taliban must guarantee that people have unfettered access to the airport. 

Previous Instances of Taliban Afghanistan condition 

Taliban militants have arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, following the withdrawal of most US forces and the Taliban's breathtakingly quick march throughout most of the nation. President Ashraf Ghani has left the nation soon as the government fell apart, according to top official Abdullah Abdullah. 

According to a media report published on Thursday, Canada planned to withdraw its nationals from the war zone of Afghanistan via its troops as the situation in the Asian country worsens. In reaction to the looming humanitarian crisis in the country, the Canadian government said on Friday that it will accept up to 20,000 Afghan refugees. 

Meanwhile, on Monday, hundreds of Afghans rushed to take the last few evacuation flights, creating huge chaos and destruction in Kabul airport. It was seen that Afghans rushed to the airport in a desperate effort to leave the country that resulted in people hanging from planes on the runway. 

Although there were no commercial flights scheduled for Tuesday, passengers persisted to throng the airport. Evacuations were delayed by the US forces deployed at the airport to release the runway. 

(Image Credit: AP)