Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Skip to main content

Canadians trapped in Afghanistan plead for help

Share
TORONTO -

With the Taliban once more in control of Afghanistan and commercial flights out of Kabul halted, Canadian citizens and locals who helped the Canadian military wonder if they'll make it out of the country alive.

Activists, veterans and interpreters who helped the Canadian Armed Forces during the war had been pleading with the federal government to help get them out for weeks before the Taliban took control. Now they worry it is too late.

Sultan fled Afghanistan to escape the Taliban once already. As an actor and director, he came to Canada and became a citizen before returning to his home country after living in Ontario for 40 years. He taught English and philosophy to boys and girls in Afghanistan.

He now fears for his life.

"We are going to see if they don't kill me and the government try to help me get out of Afghanistan," he told Â鶹ӰÊÓ by phone.

His family is here in Canada, pleading for help.

"It sound like something out of a movie, but it's happening to my father, it's happening to real people, real Canadians and it is just a very distressing situation," his son, Baz Ali, told Â鶹ӰÊÓ.

As commercial flights out of Kabul's airport are grounded, Canadians and Afghans who helped Canadians during the war effort are desperate to get out. Those trying to help get them to safety say that they're being hunted by the Taliban.

"Now the Taliban are literally all around them in their neighbourhoods, knocking on doors, looking for anybody who may have served with Canadian Forces or American Forces," Karen Storwick, Combined Forces Production Collaborative, told Â鶹ӰÊÓ.

"They're scared, they are just keep asking me, 'When can I come home, when can I get out of this?'" she added.

Even the family members of those who helped Canadian Forces aren't safe from the Taliban. Roya Sham now lives in Canada, but her family in Afghanistan is in hiding in a safe house with a hundred others. Her father worked with the Canadian military. He was killed by the Taliban.

"It's time for action, we don't have time," said Sham. "There is a humanitarian crisis, people are losing their lives, their loved ones, they have lost their homes, they lost everything they had."

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.

A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected