Afghans in London, Ont., worry over family's safety as situation intensifies back home

Afghans in London, Ont., are watching in fear for family back home as the situation in Afghanistan continues to escalate with the resurgence of the Taliban.

Tayiba Nasr, president of Afghan Socio-Cultural Association in London, said she worries for her family currently in Afghanistan. 

"It's just really really scary, we don't know what's going to happen or what kind of news we're going to hear from our relatives," Nasr told CBC News.

Nasr said her relatives have been displaced within the country as they flee violent areas. Her family currently lives in Herat, and are afraid to leave their homes for work or school.

"They're afraid they're going to be shot or killed," she said.

This week, a government flight carrying dozens of Afghan workers who assisted the Canadian military during the war in Afghanistan arrived in Toronto.

The flight is the first to enter Canada under a special immigration program to bring in Afghans as government-assisted refugees, with more expected to arrive in coming weeks.

The resettlement efforts Ottawa has made come as the resurgence of the Taliban has reportedly been threatening those who have worked with the Canadian government.

Nasr has been living in Canada for more than 35 years and in London for more than 25. She said she wishes her family could find refuge in Canada. She sends them money for basic necessities because that's all she can do from here, she said.

"It would be great if they could get out and Canada could bring them," she said.

Nasr said she talks to her family almost everyday but is afraid of losing contact with them.

They're not safe anymore. I hear bad news every minute, every second.- Wahid Amiry

George Allan Tucker, an affordable housing advocate in London, is calling on the government to accommodate Afghan refugees in southwestern Ontario.

"The idea of accommodating Afghan refugees, that's a brand new one, but  one we realized our obligation to these folks who helped us over there in Afghanistan and are endangered now," he said. 

Tucker got in touch with Nasr to try and explore different opportunities to propose different accommodation options within the region. 

Similar to Nasr, Wahid Amiry, a business owner in London, said he is also in a constant state of worry over his family's safety in Afghanistan.

"There's a lot of fighting, a lot of kidnapping, a lot of robbery,"Amiry said.

"It's not a normal life there anymore."

Amiry has five sisters who all have children and are living in Herat, where he said the situation continues to worsen over the past week.

"They're not safe anymore. I hear bad news every minute, every second from there. They don't have enough water or food there." 

He said he hopes he can get them out of Afghanistan but feels his hands are tied watching from Canada.