Canada has pledged to host 20,000 Afghan refugees under a special immigration program. (File)
Montreal:
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau left the door open to sanctions on Taliban Monday and noted that the Islamist group that now controls Afghanistan remains a “terrorist entity.”
“Canada already recognizes and has long been that the Taliban are terrorists and harbor terrorists. That’s why they’re on the terrorist list. So, yes, we can talk about sanctions,” Trudeau told reporters.
On Tuesday, the leaders of the G7 group of rich nations (Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States) will meet virtually in Afghanistan.
Trudeau said he was “expecting” a conversation “soon with my G7 colleagues as we look at what we can do more.”
Britain, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the G7, has said the easing of existing sanctions “will depend on the behavior of the Taliban.”
The Islamist group came to power in mid-August, almost 20 years after its first regime was overthrown in 2001 by the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.
The United States and its allies are vying to evacuate tens of thousands of people from the country before the August 31 deadline for U.S. President Joe Biden for the final withdrawal of all its forces.
But with the European Union and Britain saying it would be impossible to get everyone out then, Biden is under pressure to extend the deadline.
Britain said on Monday it would urge the United States to expand it, while the Taliban warned that any delay would have “consequences”.
Trudeau did not disclose his position to back the deadline.
He said Canada’s focus remains “to get as many Afghans as possible out into security.”
The situation remains “volatile and chaotic” near Kabul airport, where thousands of terrified Afghans fleeing the Taliban government have gathered for days to try to reach an evacuation flight, senior officials said Monday. of the Canadian government.
Canada resumed flights to Kabul on Thursday for the first time since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital.
Four flights have taken off from Kabul to Canada, the last of which carried 436 Canadian and Afghan nationals on Sunday.
About 900 Afghans have arrived in Canada under a new special immigration program, Canadian officials said. Recently, Canada pledged to host 20,000 Afghan refugees under the program.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)