Mike Blanchfield

Canada's military mission in Afghanistan ended Thursday, hours before suicide bombers attacked crowds at Kabul airport, killing several American marines, and leaving an unknown number of Canadians and their families trapped.

Canada is one of a dozen allied countries taking part in the evacuation of people facing Taliban reprisals from Kabul's chaotic airport, which American-led forces have secured for the time being.

Ongoing complaints about roadblocks in Kabul and bureaucratic hurdles in Ottawa tempered any sense of relief on Thursday, August 19, 2021, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed on the campaign trail that the Canadian military has arrived back in Afghanistan to help with evacuation efforts.

The federal Liberal cabinet will abstain from the Conservative party's motion to have Parliament declare a genocide against ethnic Muslim Uighurs in China's Xinjiang province.