Parliamentary Committee Notes: Closing the Embassy during the Fall of Kabul
Following the withdrawal announcement made by NATO and the United States on November 17, 2020, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) began to have serious concerns regarding its ability to maintain a long-term diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.
As GAC worked to maintain Canada's diplomatic presence in Kabul, assets and resources that were critical to facilitating mission security, were in danger of being lost, prompting a decision to temporarily suspend operations at the mission by August 31, 2021.
Due to the rapid deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan, Duty of Care could not be maintained, requiring the Head of Mission to order a temporary suspension of operations on August 12, 2021.
Supplementary messages
On August 12, 2021 the rapidly deteriorating security situation required the Head of Mission to order an immediate temporary suspension of operations and evacuation of staff.
All mission closure protocols were adhered to, ensuring information and assets were not compromised.
Responsive only; GAC was in contact with like-minded missions throughout the US and NATO drawdown.
Supporting facts and figures
On 20 November 2020, Global Affairs Canada deployed staff to Kabul to assess the mission's emergency management capabilities and the potential impacts of the announced drawdown.
Following the signing of a formal Request for Assistance (RFA) between GAC and DND, CAF personnel were deployed to Kabul to assist GAC in planning for a rapid evacuation/mission closure.
On July 27, 2021 the Minister of Foreign Affairs (MINA) and the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), submitted a joint RFA to DND requesting the planning of an evacuation operation as well as the potential extraction of the Canadian Embassy staff in Kabul.
Mission closure planning incorporated elements such as, disposition of assets, financial reconciliation, diplomatic engagement, IT and security.
As the Taliban began continued to take and hold large swaths of land, it became evident that GAC could not uphold Duty of Care past the final NATO/US withdrawal of 11 September, 2021, a memo was signed by MINA authorizing the temporary suspension of operations at the mission on August 31, 2021.
On August 15, 2021, the remaining Canadian staff and 30 Special Immigration Measures (SIMS) applicants departed Kabul, marking the completion of the temporary mission closure.
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