Canada to accept 20,000 vulnerable Afghans such as women leaders, human rights workers

FILE PHOTO: People are silhouetted in front of the Canadian national flag at the Palais des Congres in Montreal, Quebec, Canada October 21, 2019. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada plans to resettle more than 20,000 vulnerable Afghans including women leaders, human rights workers and reporters to protect them from Taliban reprisals, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said on Friday.

The effort is in addition to an earlier initiative to welcome thousands of Afghans who worked for the Canadian government, such as interpreters, embassy workers and their families, he told a news conference.