Canada set to welcome 20,000 Afghan refugees on behalf of US, allies: Immigration Minister

In a major announcement, Canada has expressed interest in accepting additional Afghan refugees on behalf United States and its Allies. On August 20, Canadian Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino announced that the country would "open doors" to accommodate refugees "if asked to do so" by the US and its Allies. Canada has begun a humanitarian resettlement program under which over 800 refugees have been moved immigrated into the country.

“We're going to keep those flights going for as long as possible,” Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said.

Canada accelerates evacuation process

Mendicino further announced that Canada would welcome all Afghan citizens who have helped NATO and Allied power missions in the war-torn country. Meanwhile, Canada has accelerated the evacuation of Afghans under the escalating violence in Kabul. "We have already waived passports and covid tests, it’s now moving biometric screening to a third country," Mendicino took to Twitter to announce the progress.

Almost 1,000 Afghan refugees have already arrived in Canada, Mendicino said in an official statement on August 19. About 175 Afghans and 13 foreign nationals were airlifted from Hamid Karzai International Airport, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a tweet on Thursday. Canada has deployed two of the largest C-17 aircraft for evacuation of Afghan citizens who helped missions against the Taliban over the years. The aircraft is to fly back and forth as long as possible, the Canadian Department of National Defence announced following Marco's remarks. Two flights landed in Ottawa on Thursday carrying a bulk of Afghan émigrés.

The list of evacuees will also include members of families already settled in Canada. Moreover, the country administration agreed to accept about 20,000 asylum seekers "focusing on women, girls, LGBTQ individuals and targeted minorities," Mendicino wrote on Twitter. Meanwhile, the evacuation process has become a major topic as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has begun campaigns for a re-run. However, during a press meet on Thursday, he refused to answer whether he recognised the Taliban regime.

Canadian involvement in Afghanistan

Canada deployed troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO mission in 2001. Later in 2011, the Defence Forces withdrew its troops from the war-ravaged country following the death of the Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. However, it participated in another NATO-powered mission to train the Afghan military until 2014.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: @MarcoMedicino/Twitter/AP/representative)