Flight records reveal that the department of National Defence operated mercy flights from Kabul, but these flights were only filled to half capacity for several days before the Taliban took over the city. . afghans .According to Blacklock’s Reporter, thousands of Canadians and Afghan allies were left stranded in the city..According to a recently revealed memo, the department flew with empty seats partly because they wanted to save fuel..“When determining how many passengers to load onto an aircraft, our aircrew took into consideration several different factors to ensure planes could safely reach their destination,” said the memo. .“For example, weather, fuel, cargo and weight considerations were different for each type of aircraft and for each trip.”.Cabinet had sealed the flight logs. MPs on the Commons Special committee on Afghanistan were told on May 25, 2022, that disclosing the information “would impact national security and public safety.”.On Aug. 15, 2021, Canada shut down its embassy. This left around 1,250 Canadians and thousands of Afghan nationals stranded in the city..According to a national defence memo Regarding the Government’s Response to the Final Report of the Special Committee on Afghanistan, military planes were able to rescue 440 people in the two weeks before the fall of Kabul..Even though big military planes were available, some aircraft flew with as few as 40 passengers..At that time in Kabul, the RCAF had different planes available. These included the CC-130J Hercules, which could hold up to 128 passengers, the CC-150 Polaris, which had space for 194 passengers, and the CC-177 Globemaster, which could accommodate up to 102 passengers..Flight logs show:.Aug. 4 one military aircraft left Kabul with 40 passengers to CanadaAug. 7 two military aircraft left with 90 passengers to CanadaAug. 8 a chartered commercial flight left with 167 passengers to CanadaAug. 11 a chartered commercial flight left with 163 passengers to CanadaAug. 13 two military aircraft left with 100 passengers to CanadaAug. 14 one military aircraft left with 141 passengers to Canada.On Aug. 15, 2021, Ambassador Reid Sirrs closed the Canadian Embassy and left the city. He flew “with 69 Afghan nationals and diplomatic staff,” as mentioned in the memo. .The authorities did not provide a reason for not filling the plane completely..“We could hear explosions,” Ambassador Sirrs testified at a March 21, 2022, committee hearing. .“We could see fires all over the city. When we came into the military side of the airport itself, it was very obvious the city was coming under siege and it became evident to us that a whole bunch of chaotic activity was taking place and was going to escalate.”.Ambassador Sirrs testified that he was surprised by the rapid collapse of Afghanistan. “The complete collapse of the Afghan forces and the Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan came as a surprise to everyone,” he said..However, Chief of Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre testified that as early as April 1, 2021, the Canadian military concluded “the Afghan government was facing a likely defeat.” .The newly-disclosed memo confirmed by April 24 — almost four months before Kabul’s fall — “the Canadian Armed Forces deployed a planning team to assist the department of Foreign Affairs in planning related to the rapid evacuation of the Canadian Embassy in Kabul.”
