Canada's Defense Chief Confirms Special Ops Deployment to Afghanistan

TORONTO (Sputnik) - Canadian Minister of National Defense Harjit Sajjan confirmed reports that special operations troops have been deployed to Afghanistan to secure the remaining staff in the war-torn country as the Taliban advances in its bid to reclaim control of the country.

Late Thursday evening, Global News reported, citing sources, that Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Special Operations Forces had been deployed to assist with the evacuation of staff from Canada’s embassy in Kabul.

"Yes, the special forces are involved," Sajjan told reporters on Friday, declining to divulge any additional details, citing security reasons.

Sajjan said Canadian military personnel have been on the ground in Afghanistan for "quite some time" working on contingency plans, noting that the security situation in the war-torn country was deteriorating.

While Ottawa has now confirmed the deployment of troops to Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Marc Garneau declined to address reports that the embassy in Kabul has halted operations ahead of the impeding evacuation.

Canada’s defense chief stressed that the safety and security of embassy staff is the "top priority" and that local staff would be accounted for in case of any urgent developments.

Canada is not alone in its scramble to secure remaining resources in Afghanistan.

The United States is deploying three infantry battalions to Kabul, consisting of some 3,000 troops, to evacuate civilian personnel from Afghanistan. The mission is currently underway with most of the troops expected to be in Afghanistan by the end of the weekend, the Pentagon said on Friday.

Meanwhile, several other Western nations, including Switzerland, have announced a reduction of their diplomatic presence in the Afghan capital.

The activity comes amid a Taliban advance, which has seen the terror group now capture 15 of 34 Afghan provincial capitals, including Kandahar, Herat and Pol-e-Khomri, over the course of one week.