TORONTO Local interpreters who worked with the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan are pleading for Canada’s help in immigrating after the U.S. military’s withdrawal has led to resurgence of the Taliban. Nearly all U.S. combat forces have left Afghanistan ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s confirmation that the American military operation in the country will officially end August 31, nearly 20 years since the Taliban was removed from power in Kabul. News of the U.S troops’ departure, and their subsequent overnight abandonment of the Bagram Air Base, has spurred the Taliban to resurge and take back control of significant amounts of territory, capturing Spin Boldak – a strategic border with Pakistan, and one that Canadians fought and died to protect.
TORONTO With the announcement from U.S. President Joe Biden that America’s troops would be pulling out of Afghanistan, the plight of Afghan interpreters, who also put their lives on the line alongside soldiers, is back in the spotlight. More than 40,000 Canadian troops served in Afghanistan, and were eventually pulled out in 2014. Local Afghan interpreters were critical elements of Canada’s and other NATO soldier’s presence in the Middle East, often riding on the front lines. In 2009, a special immigration program for interpreters and their families was set up, assisting around 800 former interpreters and their families in moving to Canada. However, that program ended in 2011, leaving thousands of interpreters behind.
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