The Canadian envoy whose abrupt closure of the embassy in Kabul left more than 1,200 Canadians stranded has been recalled from his last overseas assignment, according to correspondence obtained from embassy staff.Blacklock's Reporter says Reid Sirrs, who had been reassigned to Argentina after the 2021 Kabul crisis, sent a farewell email to colleagues last week, writing, “Goodbyes are sad. We will be sad to leave but will also be happy to reunite with family and friends back in Canada. If your travels take you to Ottawa please drop us a line.”“Hello to a new adventure,” Sirrs added, framing his departure as a personal transition rather than acknowledging the controversy surrounding his prior posting. The Department of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on Sirrs’ current role, and records show he has not been assigned to another foreign post.Sirrs, a former director general of security at the department, was head of the Canadian mission in Kabul when the Taliban entered the city on August 15, 2021. The embassy, Canada’s costliest with $84 million spent on special security, was shuttered as he fled on a military flight, leaving 1,290 Canadian citizens and Afghan allies behind. He was the first G7 diplomat to abandon a mission while rescue operations were ongoing..At a 2022 staff briefing in Ottawa, Sirrs described the situation as “stressful,” recounting the evacuation with colleagues and Afghan families as occurring “just minutes before the airport was overrun and flights were suspended.” Records indicate the aircraft was only half full, though the department has refused to disclose who was aboard the final flight.Eyewitness testimony and committee hearings later criticized the embassy’s handling. David Lavery, an Afghan War veteran and Kabul security consultant, told the Commons Special Committee on Afghanistan that Canadian diplomats appeared disorganized and “pushed us aside” during attempts to coordinate evacuations. Wendy Long, founder of Afghan-Canadian Interpreters, said the embassy’s response left thousands without assistance, noting, “Any hope for a swift but orderly evacuation went out the window.”
