Afghan women ministers made pleas to Canadian politicians for help -- and shared warnings about atrocities and the erosion of women's rights -- two months before the Taliban took control of Kabul.
In June, female Afghan ministers begged Canada to "do something for us" as the Taliban advanced, says a Canadian senator who took part in a videoconference between Canadian and Afghan politicians.
Ambassador Hassan Soroosh gave a graphic account of the Taliban as it advanced, killing women and clerics who did not agree with their interpretation of Islam, said Sen. Salma Ataullahjan, co-chair of the parliamentary friendship group. She said the June meeting -- where Canadian cabinet ministers were present -- rang alarm bells, and she argued that Canada should have acted sooner to evacuate vulnerable Afghans.
"The June one was the most significant because the women were very concerned -- you could see. There was an urgency. We were hearing that they were worried they would lose everything -- all this progress . They said 'do something for us.' There was that sense of desperation. I was really, really concerned," the senator said.
In July, Canada drew up plans to evacuate interpreters who assisted Canadian Forces. In all, the Canadian military helped remove than 3,700 people from Kabul over a period of weeks before pulling out at the end of August. The Liberal government has also pledged to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees. At the July 29 meeting -- just weeks before the Taliban took Kabul -- Afghanistan's ambassador gave "horrific reports of what was happening" as the Taliban advanced, according to Stretch. She provided The Canadian Press with her notes of the July meeting, and said the June meeting demonstrated just how serious the situation was becoming for Afghans.
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