FRANKFURT, Germany: Germany carried out its first deportation of Afghan nationals since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.
The deportation involved 28 Afghans, all of whom were convicted offenders without the right to remain in Germany. A chartered Qatar Airways flight departed from Leipzig airport for Kabul early Friday morning, following two months of “secret negotiations” where Qatar served as a mediator between Berlin and the Taliban authorities.
This move comes as Germany faces increasing pressure to crack down on illegal migration, especially involving dangerous and convicted asylum seekers.
Recent high-profile crimes allegedly committed by migrant suspects, including a deadly knife attack at a street festival in Solingen by a 26-year-old Syrian man with links to the Islamic State, have fueled calls for stricter migration policies.
The suspect, who was supposed to be deported to Bulgaria weeks earlier, could not be located in time for the operation to proceed. Another incident in May involved a 25-year-old Afghan accused of fatally stabbing a police officer in Mannheim. Both incidents have intensified debates around deporting serious criminals, even to countries deemed unsafe.
Germany had halted all deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban’s rise to power. However, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser recently announced that Germany would soon resume expulsions to both Syria and Afghanistan as part of a broader effort to tighten asylum policies and enhance security.
These actions come ahead of key regional elections in eastern Germany, where the far-right AfD party is expected to gain ground, driven in part by growing public discontent over immigration issues.
