Germany resumes deportations to Afghanistan

Germany has deported 28 Afghan nationals to their homeland, the first such act since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, after Berlin reversed its ban on deportations to countries it deems unsafe.

The move came in the wake of a stabbing attack at a street festival in the city of Solingen last week, in which three people were killed and eight others injured. Police arrested a 26-year-old Syrian over the incident, for which Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) reportedly claimed responsibility, without providing evidence.

The first group of 28 Afghans, who are all convicted criminals, were deported on a chartered Qatar Airways flight bound for Kabul on Friday, Spiegel magazine said, citing security sources.

“These were Afghan nationals, all of whom were convicted offenders who had no right to stay in Germany and against whom deportation orders had been issued,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit told the outlet. 

The deportation operation was a result of two months of “secret negotiations” with mediator Qatar as Berlin has no diplomatic ties with the Taliban-led interim government in Afghanistan, according to the report. Hebestreit confirmed to the outlet that Germany had “asked key regional partners for support in order to facilitate the deportations,” without providing details.

“The Federal Government is committed to carrying out such deportations. Germany’s security interests clearly outweigh its interest in protecting criminals and dangerous individuals,” Hebestreit said.

Berlin suspended deportations to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan in 2021, on human rights concerns. It has also forbidden expulsions to Syria, as that country is not deemed safe, due to its long-running civil war.

In June, after a police officer was killed by an Afghan man in the city of Mannheim, Chancellor Scholz told the country’s parliament that he favored deporting migrants who commit violent crimes to their countries of origin, including to Afghanistan and Syria.

Following recent attacks, Scholz’s ruling coalition came under increased pressure from opposition parties, which accused the government of neglecting the problem for years.

The EU’s largest economy remains the top destination for undocumented migrants. Last year, Germany saw a surge in immigration, with the number of people applying for asylum jumping by 51% compared to the previous year. The largest group of asylum seekers, about a third, came from Syria. Türkiye was second, followed by Afghanistan.

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