FRANKFURT, 30 August 2024 (TDI): Germany has started deporting Afghan nationals since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.
The deportation involved 28 Afghan nationals, all of whom were convicted offenders with no legal right to stay in Germany.
A Qatar Airways charter flight departed from Leipzig airport for Kabul early Friday morning, following two months of “secret negotiations” with Qatar acting as a mediator between Berlin and the Taliban authorities.
“No one should be deported to a country where there is a risk of torture” @amnesty_de
This morning, Germany deported 28 people on a flight to Afghanistan – the first deportation of Afghans since the Taliban took power in 2021
An act of political theatre ahead of state elections https://t.co/17CBYG6ayz pic.twitter.com/7TUMwjxsJA
— Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) August 30, 2024
This action comes as Germany faces mounting pressure to address illegal migration, particularly involving dangerous and convicted asylum seekers.
Recent high-profile crimes by migrant suspects, including a deadly knife attack at a street festival in Solingen by a 26-year-old Syrian man with alleged ties to the Islamic State, have amplified calls for stricter migration policies. The suspect, who was to be deported to Bulgaria weeks earlier, was not located in time for the operation.
Another incident in May involved a 25-year-old Afghan accused of fatally stabbing a police officer in Mannheim. These incidents have intensified debates on deporting serious criminals, even to countries considered unsafe.
Germany deports Afghan nationals for first time since Taliban takeover
➡️ https://t.co/osGedyOqlj pic.twitter.com/tvyYbf2RoY— FRANCE 24 (@FRANCE24) August 30, 2024
Germany had suspended all deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban’s takeover. However, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser recently announced that Germany would resume expulsions to both Syria and Afghanistan as part of a broader strategy to tighten asylum policies and improve security.
These developments come ahead of crucial regional elections in eastern Germany, where the far-right AfD party is anticipated to gain support, partly due to increasing public dissatisfaction with immigration issues.
