KABUL, Afghanistan: Austria has deported a 26-year-old Afghan national convicted of serious financial and drug-related offences, transferring him from Vienna to Istanbul and then to Kabul, the Austrian Interior Ministry said.
In a statement published by the ministry, the deported man was identified as a 26-year-old Afghan national who was transferred from Vienna to Istanbul and then to Kabul on Monday, August 31.
Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said deporting migrants remains a “difficult task” for the country’s police.
Karner said the government would continue pursuing what he described as a tough but fair deportation policy.
Austria deported three Afghans to Afghanistan last year and has deported two others so far this year, in coordination with the Taliban regime.
Austria has also deported migrants convicted of serious crimes to countries other than Afghanistan.
Austria’s latest deportation comes amid growing scrutiny in several European countries over crimes committed by Afghan nationals, and renewed political debate over migration, public safety and deportation policies.
In Germany, official police statistics record Afghan nationals among the foreign nationalities represented among crime suspects, while German authorities have also continued to focus on serious offences involving foreign nationals.
The issue has contributed to wider European calls for stricter migration controls, faster removal of rejected asylum seekers and the deportation of foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes.
In 2026, the European Union also held talks with Taliban regime representatives on practical arrangements for returning Afghan nationals who have been denied asylum, particularly those considered security risks or involved in criminal activity.
