Canada’s spy agency concerned Afghanistan will be ‘safe haven’ for extremists: docs
Global News
CSIS warned the public safety minister in October that the return of the Taliban could increase religiously motivated terrorism threats to Canada.
Canada’s domestic spy agency warned the government in October that the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan could increase the risk of religiously motivated extremism in Canada, documents reviewed by Global News suggest.
Additional newly released documents also suggest Canadian government officials were caught off guard by the speed of the Taliban’s takeover last summer, although the terrorist organization’s resurgence was seen as a foregone conclusion by Canadian intelligence officials as early as May 2021.
“Should Western forces withdraw (from Afghanistan), the Taliban would likely decisively defeat the (Afghan security forces) and capture most major urban areas, and re-establish Taliban control over most of Afghanistan,” read a briefing note for then-defence minister Harjit Sajjan, prepared by Canadian military intelligence.
The Taliban would go on to seize Kabul, the Afghan capital, three months later on Aug. 15, 2021. The speed of the Afghan government’s collapse surprised Western intelligence and defence officials, including in Canada.
In October, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) warned Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino that Afghanistan could become a hotbed for extremist organizing, and that so-called “extremist travellers” returning to Canada could increase the risk of religiously motivated extremism domestically.
“The evolving situation in Afghanistan and (the) take-over by the Taliban, a listed terrorist entity, has potentially created a safe haven and base for other extremist organizations, as well as a destination for Canadian extremist travellers,” the briefing document reads.
In a letter to Mendicino, CSIS Director David Vigneault warned that “religiously motivated violent extremism” remains a concern for Canadian officials, “especially with the Taliban regaining control in Afghanistan and the continued prospect of returning extremist travellers.”
The briefing, which is partially censored, said the Taliban’s return to power will “destabilize security in the region” and would “likely attract other insurgent groups.”