Despite grandiose Trudeau government promises to rescue refugees, Canada’s Afghanistan veterans have little hope thousands of interpreters and support staff who faithfully helped them will survive long enough to be evacuated to safety..They fear it’s already too late for many Afghans who, believing a Canadian government promise they’d be protected, bravely helped them throughout the brutal war..The blood-thirsty Taliban, hellbent on revenge are using technology to hunt down and kill those who worked for the allies during NATO’s occupation in Afghanistan, said Dr. Sean Maloney, the Canadian Army’s historian for the Afghanistan war and history professor at Royal Military College..“I’ve been tracking this five weeks. They know who our guys are,” said Maloney who visited Afghanistan 11 times between 2003-2014 and kept in contact with many locals..“We are observing blood-chilling effects of 21st Century technology wedded to a medieval ideology.”.He received a disturbing message a month ago from one Afghani who escaped when the Taliban overran part of Kandahar city..“He said: ‘I’m evacuating Police District 7, which is in the western part of the city. The Taliban are taking over.’.“He said checkpoints the Taliban set up have laptops and biometric scanners, like fingerprint scanners in airports. That only means one thing. They have a database of who everybody is. He saw this happening in a couple of locations,” Maloney told Western Standard..Speculation is that either agents within the Afghan government compromised the databases or they were hacked by external players..Those databases hold information on all who worked for NATO forces, including aid workers and the Red Cross..He received other disturbing reports about 300 executions in Spin Boldak, a town in Kandahar province. Eighty young, educated men and women were rounded up and murdered in Kandahar city..“When they took over the western part of Kandahar, the edict came down from the Taliban commander. They were going door-to-door hunting down people who were on the list,” said Maloney..“I know some people have gotten out. My people haven’t yet, people I’ve worked with, including a Canadian citizen.”.Since the Taliban overthrew the government of President Ashraf Ghani, terrified mobs who know their brutality have fled to the airport in the capital Kabul..“You’ve watched it on TV but it’s worse than what you’re seeing. What happened in the past 24 hours has thrown everything off. The airport isn’t secure. It needs to be secured before things can start up again. Canada doesn’t control it, the Americans do.”.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s hollow vow to rescue 20,000 Afghans has been met with disdain by many..“It’s an aspirational sentiment, not an operational certainty,” said Maloney. “Where’s the airlift going to come from? I was taken aback by that. I’d use more violent language in another venue. It didn’t make sense to me at all and still doesn’t.”.The Trudeau promise is all “smoke and mirrors,” said retired Afghan vet Matt Tofflemire who did three tours after 9/11, first with the navy, then signed up with the army and was deployed to Kandahar in 2008.. Screen-Shot-2021-08-17-at-9.39.09-AMMatt Tofflemire .“I see it as a reaction to try to appease people. I’m sure they knew the Americans were pulling out way before they announced. The American administration miscalculated.”.Afghan vets have fought valiantly for five years to honour Canada’s promise to interpreters..“This has been a veteran-led initiative. There was no plan. They were promising everyone, all the interpreters. ‘Help us out, we’ll bring you to Canada.’ Our friends were asked to help. They helped us. We couldn’t talk to the locals, all the tribal systems. It’s amazing, the connections and the loyalty. That bond that’s created, it’s lasting.”.He believes many suffered swift, deadly retribution from the Taliban..“Why not? They were killing people when we were there.”.When the Americans announced they’d be pulling their troops out Canadian vets knew it would create a vacuum and tried to speed up efforts to save interpreters..“Things started picking up in July. We were getting sitreps (situation reports) from them. The veteran community started approaching MPs, the government.”.The government was slow to respond and is trying to catch up now that chaos is unleashed..It’s gut-wrenching for vets to know of the terror..“They’re so sacred, flocking like sheep in a herd. The stronger animals go on the outside.”.A group of vets has been working relentlessly to rescue the seven-member family of an interpreter they named Tony. They helped him escape with his family from Kandahar to Kabul..Tofflemire received a text Sunday 3:13 p.m..Tony is waiting with family outside airport…is in a crowd of about 2,000 people…his phone is his lifeline…let’s pray..Fifteen minutes later another joyous text arrived..He made it inside the compound..“I just found out my friend and his family had to leave the security area because it wasn’t safe. That speaks volumes to the situation at hand. He is currently hiding with his family in a safe house.”.Interpreters working with the Canadian government are using Afghan vets to vouch for them..“The paperwork they’re being sent, sometimes you can’t open the files. This is the government, Immigration, the embassy,” he said..“Tony had all his papers, passports, paperwork that we helped him with. Veterans are the ones helping these people in coordination with the government. It’s been like a circus.”.As the Taliban advanced, Canada shut down its embassy in Kabul Sunday .Trudeau announced Monday that Canada is prepared to send military transports to Kabul in the next few weeks to evacuate Afghans. As time goes on, the risk of flying in will increase..The government claimed recent evacuation flights rescued 807 Afghans..Vets are being kept in the dark, said Tofflemire..“Is it acceptable for Canadian Forces to send our JTF, our special forces, over to evacuate the embassy. That’s what they’re telling us, they’re preparing to send Special Forces to evacuate the embassy. Well, that doesn’t really help the interpreters. I’m wondering, it is too late for the people who the veterans tried to help?”.More than 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served in Afghanistan 2001-2014. A total of 165 Canadians died, 158 soldiers and seven civilians..Another 2,000 soldiers were injured or wounded..Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standard.lslobodian@westernstandardonline.com
Despite grandiose Trudeau government promises to rescue refugees, Canada’s Afghanistan veterans have little hope thousands of interpreters and support staff who faithfully helped them will survive long enough to be evacuated to safety..They fear it’s already too late for many Afghans who, believing a Canadian government promise they’d be protected, bravely helped them throughout the brutal war..The blood-thirsty Taliban, hellbent on revenge are using technology to hunt down and kill those who worked for the allies during NATO’s occupation in Afghanistan, said Dr. Sean Maloney, the Canadian Army’s historian for the Afghanistan war and history professor at Royal Military College..“I’ve been tracking this five weeks. They know who our guys are,” said Maloney who visited Afghanistan 11 times between 2003-2014 and kept in contact with many locals..“We are observing blood-chilling effects of 21st Century technology wedded to a medieval ideology.”.He received a disturbing message a month ago from one Afghani who escaped when the Taliban overran part of Kandahar city..“He said: ‘I’m evacuating Police District 7, which is in the western part of the city. The Taliban are taking over.’.“He said checkpoints the Taliban set up have laptops and biometric scanners, like fingerprint scanners in airports. That only means one thing. They have a database of who everybody is. He saw this happening in a couple of locations,” Maloney told Western Standard..Speculation is that either agents within the Afghan government compromised the databases or they were hacked by external players..Those databases hold information on all who worked for NATO forces, including aid workers and the Red Cross..He received other disturbing reports about 300 executions in Spin Boldak, a town in Kandahar province. Eighty young, educated men and women were rounded up and murdered in Kandahar city..“When they took over the western part of Kandahar, the edict came down from the Taliban commander. They were going door-to-door hunting down people who were on the list,” said Maloney..“I know some people have gotten out. My people haven’t yet, people I’ve worked with, including a Canadian citizen.”.Since the Taliban overthrew the government of President Ashraf Ghani, terrified mobs who know their brutality have fled to the airport in the capital Kabul..“You’ve watched it on TV but it’s worse than what you’re seeing. What happened in the past 24 hours has thrown everything off. The airport isn’t secure. It needs to be secured before things can start up again. Canada doesn’t control it, the Americans do.”.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s hollow vow to rescue 20,000 Afghans has been met with disdain by many..“It’s an aspirational sentiment, not an operational certainty,” said Maloney. “Where’s the airlift going to come from? I was taken aback by that. I’d use more violent language in another venue. It didn’t make sense to me at all and still doesn’t.”.The Trudeau promise is all “smoke and mirrors,” said retired Afghan vet Matt Tofflemire who did three tours after 9/11, first with the navy, then signed up with the army and was deployed to Kandahar in 2008.. Screen-Shot-2021-08-17-at-9.39.09-AMMatt Tofflemire .“I see it as a reaction to try to appease people. I’m sure they knew the Americans were pulling out way before they announced. The American administration miscalculated.”.Afghan vets have fought valiantly for five years to honour Canada’s promise to interpreters..“This has been a veteran-led initiative. There was no plan. They were promising everyone, all the interpreters. ‘Help us out, we’ll bring you to Canada.’ Our friends were asked to help. They helped us. We couldn’t talk to the locals, all the tribal systems. It’s amazing, the connections and the loyalty. That bond that’s created, it’s lasting.”.He believes many suffered swift, deadly retribution from the Taliban..“Why not? They were killing people when we were there.”.When the Americans announced they’d be pulling their troops out Canadian vets knew it would create a vacuum and tried to speed up efforts to save interpreters..“Things started picking up in July. We were getting sitreps (situation reports) from them. The veteran community started approaching MPs, the government.”.The government was slow to respond and is trying to catch up now that chaos is unleashed..It’s gut-wrenching for vets to know of the terror..“They’re so sacred, flocking like sheep in a herd. The stronger animals go on the outside.”.A group of vets has been working relentlessly to rescue the seven-member family of an interpreter they named Tony. They helped him escape with his family from Kandahar to Kabul..Tofflemire received a text Sunday 3:13 p.m..Tony is waiting with family outside airport…is in a crowd of about 2,000 people…his phone is his lifeline…let’s pray..Fifteen minutes later another joyous text arrived..He made it inside the compound..“I just found out my friend and his family had to leave the security area because it wasn’t safe. That speaks volumes to the situation at hand. He is currently hiding with his family in a safe house.”.Interpreters working with the Canadian government are using Afghan vets to vouch for them..“The paperwork they’re being sent, sometimes you can’t open the files. This is the government, Immigration, the embassy,” he said..“Tony had all his papers, passports, paperwork that we helped him with. Veterans are the ones helping these people in coordination with the government. It’s been like a circus.”.As the Taliban advanced, Canada shut down its embassy in Kabul Sunday .Trudeau announced Monday that Canada is prepared to send military transports to Kabul in the next few weeks to evacuate Afghans. As time goes on, the risk of flying in will increase..The government claimed recent evacuation flights rescued 807 Afghans..Vets are being kept in the dark, said Tofflemire..“Is it acceptable for Canadian Forces to send our JTF, our special forces, over to evacuate the embassy. That’s what they’re telling us, they’re preparing to send Special Forces to evacuate the embassy. Well, that doesn’t really help the interpreters. I’m wondering, it is too late for the people who the veterans tried to help?”.More than 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served in Afghanistan 2001-2014. A total of 165 Canadians died, 158 soldiers and seven civilians..Another 2,000 soldiers were injured or wounded..Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standard.lslobodian@westernstandardonline.com
