From the CBC:
“Former military interpreters
stranded in Afghanistan call on Trudeau for help”
Hundreds of former interpreters
for the Canadian military, still stranded in Afghanistan, have issued their own
desperate pleas directly to the Liberal government. The former translators,
many of them from Kandahar, have sent a group email to Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau, several senior cabinet ministers and members of the media. All of them
have been hiding in safehouses in Kabul since the allied military evacuation
ended almost two months ago. They have been supported and kept safe by a group
of volunteers — mostly Canadian veterans whose fundraising efforts paid for
lodging and meals — while they wait for immigration officials to approve their
asylum applications and to find an exit from Afghanistan, now in the grip of
the Taliban.
The Canadian volunteers, working
through the group Aman Lara, are running out of cash. They notified the more
than 1,800 Afghans they support that they'll have to stop funding the hideouts
on Nov. 5. "This has caused grave concerns among us," said the email from
the translators to Trudeau and his cabinet. "[We} cannot afford our stay
in Kabul through self-finance, and we CANNOT go back to Kandahar because we
have now become an easy target since the people in our communities in Kandahar
know that we have escaped, and that we had been associated with the Canadian
government." The letter goes on to say that many of the former translators
and their families have sold their homes and furnishings and no longer have
livelihoods.
'It is just a matter of time' "Hence,
we are all in a dire situation, fearing for our lives every single day, even in
Kabul city. It is just a matter of time before our safe houses are discovered
and we are targeted," the email says. The translators said they
understand the Canadian government may be reluctant to directly finance Aman
Lara. They argue that Ottawa could expedite the asylum applications still
outstanding and provide so-called "gate passes" to allow them to get
to safe third countries. If it's at all possible, they said, they would
prefer safe passage to the United Arab Emirates rather than Pakistan, where
Taliban influence and activities remain strong. "We will be safe,
and will not fear for our life, and will wait for the evacuation to Canada to
take its due course," the email says.
The Liberal government has been
criticized repeatedly over the chaotic evacuation of western citizens and
at-risk Afghans. The airlift, led by the U.S., came to an end on Aug. 31
following the Taliban takeover two weeks previous. Thousands of Afghans who worked
for western forces, aid agencies and media outlets were left behind and remain
under threat. The Taliban had promised no retaliation but there have been
several reports of murders, including of prominent journalists. As late as last
week, NATO defence ministers were painting the overall evacuation as a major
success.
^ Trudeau and his Government have
a moral and political responsibility to help any Canadian Citizens, these Interpreters and anyone else who worked
for the Canadian Government in Afghanistan over the past 20 years out of
Afghanistan and away from the Terrorists threatening them (the Taliban,
Al-Qaida and ISIS.) If Trudeau does nothing their blood will be on his hands. ^
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/afghanistan-interpreters-taliban-trudeau-1.6224847
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