Canada to accept 20,000 vulnerable Afghans as Taliban blitz continues

Amid Taliban onslaught in Afghanistan, Canada on Friday announced it is expanding a program to resettle 20,000 Afghan refugees. Afghanistan is witnessing a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified its offensive against Afghan forces and civilians with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away.

Ottawa:Canada on Friday announced it is expanding a program to resettle 20,000 Afghan refugees amid Taliban onslaught in Afghanistan. Marco Mendicino, Canadian Immigration Minister said Friday the program will welcome 20,000 Afghans, targeting those who belong to groups vulnerable to persecution by the Taliban. "Canada will build on its earlier special immigration programme to welcome over 20,000 vulnerable Afghan refugees. Our efforts will focus on those who are particularly vulnerable, including women leaders," said Marco Mendicino, Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship.

Afghanistan is witnessing a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified its offensive against Afghan forces and civilians with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away. Due to rising violence in the country by the Taliban, the situation is deteriorating badly as the terror group has been looting people and killing civilians after capturing multiple areas from the government. As the security situation worsens, the Afghan people are leaving their homes to reach safe places.

"Canada is expeditiously carrying out special resettlement operations to evacuate Afghan nationals who provided critical support to the Canadian mission. Many more Afghan lives are now under increasing threat and many have already fled," said Marco Mendicino. The Taliban escalated its offensive against the Afghan forces soon after the US forces started leaving Afghanistan in large numbers after the peace deal signed between Washington and the Taliban in February last year. Taliban has toppled six provincial capitals in the past 24 hours which brings the total number of provinces fallen to the terrorists to 18, local media reported on Friday. Khaama Press reported that centres of Kandahar, Helmand, Herat, Badghis, Ghor, Logar, Zabul, and Oruzgan provinces fell to the Taliban in the past 24 hours.

(ANI)