Ukrainian troops helped evacuate 19 Canada-bound Afghan translators from Kabul on Aug. 27, just hours after an Islamic State suicide bombing killed over 170 people near the Afghanistan capital’s airport.
The translators had previously helped the Canadian military, according to Canadian publication The Globe and the Mail, which had worked with one of the evacuees. Three previous rescue attempts – two by the Canadian military and one by the U.S. State Department – had failed.
“We asked the Americans, the Canadians, the Qataris, everybody and no solution. They were scared to come out,” said Jawed Haqmal who had worked with the Canadian special forces in Afghanistan. “The Ukrainian soldiers were angels for us. They did an exceptional job. They have big hearts.”
The operation, coordinated between the Ukrainian military, the Ukrainian President’s Office, and the Globe, helped Ottawa fulfill its promises to resettle vulnerable Afghans, provided they make their way to third countries first.
When the Taliban, the radical Islamist movement, took over Afghanistan after marching into Kabul without a fight on Aug. 15, tens of thousands of people tried to flee the country. Afghans who had worked with foreign militaries are especially at risk of reprisals by the Taliban.
The deadly Aug. 26 Islamic State attack interrupted most evacuation attempts at the Kabul airport.
Despite the risk, Ukrainian special forces set off for Kabul on foot to escort two minibuses carrying the evacuees onto the airfield, surrounding the vehicles during the last 600 meters of the trip, The Globe reported.
The evacuees were reportedly stunned that the Ukrainian troops took risks that the Canadian and U.S. forces did not.
The translators were flown to Islamabad on a military cargo plane together with another group of Afghans previously rescued by the Ukrainian service members. Then they were brought to Ukraine on a chartered commercial flight and granted a 15-day humanitarian visa to enter Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Globe that Ukraine has received additional requests from Canada for further support in future evacuation operations. He stressed that the operation highlighted the capabilities of the Ukrainian military that attest to its worthiness of being a NATO alliance member.
“In these horrific circumstances, our military officers demonstrated bravery, high class, and exemplary professionalism,” Kuleba said.
More than 230 people who are citizens of Ukraine or their relatives remain in Afghanistan, Vasyl Servatiuk, the Ukrainian ambassador to Tajikistan and Afghanistan, said in an Aug. 27 interview.
He said that they will be evacuated on a subsequent flight but declined to disclose any details.
