The entrance gate of the Canadian embassy is pictured in Kabul on Aug. 15, 2021. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that all 100 Nepalese Gurkhas who were contracted to protect the embassy have been evacuated.WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images
All 100 Nepalese Gurkhas who were contracted to protect the Canadian embassy in Afghanistan have been evacuated from Kabul and are on their way home to Kathmandu.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said at a news conference on Tuesday that because the Gurkhas are not Afghan citizens, they do not qualify for the government’s special immigration program. However, he said Ottawa worked with the British private security company contracted by the embassy, which employed the Gurkhas, to help get them out.
The Gurkhas “have been there to support Canadians so this is why we have worked with the company and others to help them evacuate,” Mr. Trudeau said.
Former Canadian trainers in Afghanistan look on in sadness, disappointment as Taliban take control
Taliban checkpoints, Canadian red tape impeding rescue efforts in Afghanistan
A photo shared with The Globe and Mail shows a Gurkha thanking the Canadian government on Facebook, writing that everyone in his group has left Afghanistan. The Gurkhas arrived in Dubai early Tuesday, before departing for Nepal.
Nepalese Gurkhas played a key role at Canada’s embassy in Kabul, guarding the inner gates and patrolling inside the buildings as private contractors for about 15 years.
Their evacuation comes after calls on the federal government to help them. NDP foreign affairs critic Jack Harris tweeted on Sunday that he was concerned to learn the “100 Nepalese Gurkhas and former staff” working at the Canadian embassy were not included in evacuation plans.
“Canada must take measures to ensure their safety. Instead of focusing on evacuating those at risk in Afghanistan, today Justin Trudeau is calling an election,” Mr. Harris wrote on Sunday.
Mr. Trudeau said on Tuesday that all Canadian diplomats have been evacuated; however, there are still former employees of Canada’s embassy in Kabul and interpreters, who are waiting for a way out of Afghanistan. Three former embassy employees told The Globe that they are at home, anxiously waiting for news.
Military flights evacuating Western diplomats and Afghan refugees resumed on Tuesday after a chaotic day at the airport that saw desperate Afghans cling to planes and swarm the tarmac hoping to escape the country.
Two planes have arrived in Canada, carrying diplomats and special forces troops and a number of Afghan refugees. One plane carrying diplomats and elite operatives arrived in Ottawa late Monday, according to the Department of National Defence. Another plane carried Afghans who aided Canada during its mission in the country.
Mr. Trudeau told reporters on Monday that Canada is working closely with the United States, Britain and other allies to establish “ways in which we are going to be able to get more and more people out of Afghanistan in the coming weeks.” However, he also acknowledged that the situation is “extremely fluid and exceedingly dangerous.”
Mr. Trudeau said on Monday that at least 807 Afghans have been evacuated this month and 500 have arrived in Canada.
With reports from The Canadian Press
Our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.