Military Was Following ‘Legal Orders’ to Try to Rescue Afghan Sikhs, Gen. Eyre Says

Harjit Sajjan, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, speaks in Ottawa, on June 3, 2024. The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby

The Canadian Armed Forces was following “legal orders” when it tried to rescue a group of Afghan Sikhs during the fall of Kabul three years ago, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre said.

Gen. Eyre’s comment came as former defence minister Harjit Sajjan explained his decision to intervene on behalf of a group of around 200 Afghan Sikhs who were trapped along with thousands of others in August 2021.