Aug 16, 2021
By Jane Brown
The Canadian embassy is now closed in Afghanistan, after Taliban fighters swept into the capital of Kabul on Sunday.
Video that’s gone viral shows the fighters celebrating inside Afghanistan’s presidential palace, walking the halls and sitting in the chair of the president who fled the country hours earlier.
The fall of Kabul signals the end of a costly and deadly two-decade campaign to remake that country.
While condemning the violence, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the efforts of Canadians who fought there won’t be in vain.
“Our commitment to the people of Afghanistan, including women and girls and the LGBTQ2 communities remains unwavering and we will honour the sacrifices of Canadians, our armed forces, diplomats, journalists and civil society have made over the past years,” Trudeau explained.
Canada’s longest and largest military mission ran in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014.
158 Canadian soldiers and seven Canadian civilians lost their lives.
Thousands of Afghans, fearing a return to the Taliban’s brutal rule, are trying to flee.
Videos circulating on social media showed hundreds of people racing across the tarmac of the international airport as U.S. soldiers fired warning shots in the air.
According to Reuters, at least five people were killed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, a day after the Taliban seized control of the capital. US military are in charge of the airport, where civilian commercial flights have been suspended as the evacuation of embassies and citizens continues.
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