'They need peace': Winnipeg's Afghan community concerned over Taliban takeover

WINNIPEG -

The Taliban continues to make a push through the southern part of Afghanistan and Afghans in Winnipeg are concerned for their relatives in the area.

In the last 24 hours, the insurgents have taken hold of the country’s second and third largest city, Herat in the west, and Kandahar in the south.

Hundreds of thousands of Afghans are fleeing their homes in fear that the Taliban will bring back the repressive rule it imposed 20 years earlier.

For Mushtaq Rahman, it’s been 17 years since he immigrated to Canada, and a lot of his relatives are still living in the capital city of Kabul.

“I have a big family. My father is living there, I have a sister there, so everybody’s there,” said Rahman.

As the Taliban continues to blitz through the southwest part of the country, there’s a growing concern from the Afghan government that the Taliban could take over the rest of the country.

A fear shared by Rahman and his family back home.

“They’re scared about the fights (and that they will) slowly come to Kabul, everybody’s scared.”

Canadian Forces are preparing to deploy to Kabul to get Canadian Embassy staff out of the country, and sources tell CTV News that staff are burning documents at the embassy before clearing out.

Deputy Director at the Centre of Defence and Security at the University of Manitoba, James Fergusson, said the Taliban has always had a presence in the country, but America withdrawing from the conflict, and taking their air support with them, has made it easier for the Taliban to take over cities.

“The real question is a month, two months, six months a year from now, what will happen in terms of that civil war which is going to continue? I don’t see a diplomatic resolution to it,” said Fergusson.

Fergusson doesn’t believe NATO forces from any country will be getting involved in Afghanistan this time around.

“They have to stand on their own. As long as they keep getting the military aid they need to sustain themselves. By military aid I mean guns and ammunition.”

Rahman said people back home are tired of fighting.

“They need peace, they need to live like other countries.”

The UN Refugee Agency said nearly 25,000 Afghans have been forced from their homes since the end of May, and 80 per cent of those displaced are women and children.