Canadians may never know why their ambassador to Afghanistan fled the country on a half-empty military aircraft after the Liberals invoked national security secrecy on the case, says Blacklock's Reporter..Reid Sirrs was the first G7 ambassador to close the embassy and flee Kabul with staff, according to eyewitness accounts..“What went wrong?” Conservative MP Alex Ruff (Bruce-Grey, ON) asked the Commons Special Committee on Afghanistan on Wednesday night..“What went right? How can we learn from it to make sure we don’t make these mistakes going into the future?”.Ruff sponsored a motion seeking all “reports with respect to the evacuation of Kabul” last August 15..“These reports do need to come to this committee,” he said. “This is part of our mandate.”.But Liberal MPs cited national security in concealing the reports and adjourned committee hearings without a vote on the motion to compel documents..“I had conversations and I understand the information contained in the request Mr. Ruff made would impact national security and public safety,” said Liberal MP Pam Damoff (Oakville North-Burlington, ON), adding, “I think we need to take government officials at their word.”.Conservative MP Michael Chong (Wellington-Halton Hills, ON) said the records on Canadian diplomats’ abrupt flights from Kabul must be made public..“We are parliamentarians,” said Chong. “Parliament needs to be respected.”.“We do not have the information necessary to do our job.”.Sirrs’ flight from Kabul stranded 1,250 Canadian citizens and thousands more Afghan allies..Sirrs, in his only testimony at the committee March 21, said it was not safe for him to remain in Kabul..“We could hear explosions,” said Sirrs..“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.”.Sirrs testified he was surprised by the rapid collapse of Afghanistan following the announced withdrawal of the last of NATO combat troops. .The testimony was contradicted May 9 by Chief of Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre. The collapse of Afghanistan was known for months before Kabul fell, said Eyre..“As of the 1st of April, 2021, our intelligence assessed the Afghan government was facing a likely defeat,” testified Eyre..A Canadian military team was posted at the embassy April 24, four months before the country collapsed, he said..“Its role was to provide indications and warnings and advice to the head of mission on a daily basis to inform the head of mission’s decision making with respect to security,” said Eyre. Canadian military rescue flights from Kabul continued for 11 days after the Ambassador and his staff had returned to Ottawa.
