Afghan interpreters in Canada call for same treatment as Ukrainians

By Seyit Aydogan

TORONTO (AA) – Former Afghan interpreters for the Canadian army are urging Ottawa to treat their family members fleeing the Taliban the same way as Ukrainians escaping from Russian troops, local media reported Tuesday.

Speaking at a parliamentary committee Monday, the interpreters called on the Canadian government to let their families into the country as easily as Ukrainians, reported the Canadian Press.

The report said Ghulam Faizi, a former interpreter for the Canadian military, accused the government of making “fake promises” about the arrival of their family members.

“Interpreters accused Immigration Minister Sean Fraser of breaking a promise to start bringing their families to Canada by the end of March,” it said.

Another former interpreter for the Canadian army, Safiullah Mohammad Zahed, questioned why Canada “made it easier for Ukrainians than Afghan families to enter Canada.”

"I appreciate what is being done for Ukrainians, but we wanted to be treated the same as other countries," Zahed said, according to the report.

According to another former interpreter Hameed Khan, many people were in "a life and death situation" due to their help to the Canadian military.

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said "the situation is very different" in Ukraine and Afghanistan, where it is "much more difficult."

"In Ukraine they are fleeing a war where they are being helped by neighboring countries and facilitated in their travel and supports," Trudeau said at a press conference in Edmonton on Tuesday.

"In Afghanistan, the government, the Taliban, is interfering with their ability to be processed. It is unsafe for Canadians to be there on the ground to process them, so we are having to work with third countries," he added.

Noting that Canada would be welcoming over 40,000 Afghans, Trudeau said the country has "a responsibility to so many people who have contributed to Canada in really tangible, really direct ways."

According to the news agency, as of March, 10,000 Afghans had arrived in Canada.

The US and its allies withdrew their troops from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, and the Taliban took power as the US-backed government collapsed last August. The Taliban-led interim government has yet to be recognized by the international community.

At least 1,892 civilians have been killed and 2,558 injured in Ukraine since Russia launched its war on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be much higher.

More than 4.6 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.