Germany has deported 28 Afghan nationals convicted of criminal offenses, marking the first such deportation since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021. The German government confirmed the move on Friday, emphasizing that those deported had been found guilty of serious crimes and had exhausted all legal avenues to remain in the country.
“These were Afghan nationals, all of whom were convicted criminals who had no right to stay in Germany and against whom deportation orders had been issued,” stated government spokesman Stefan Hebestreit.
The deportation was carried out early Friday morning, with a Qatar Airways charter flight departing from Leipzig at 6:56 a.m. (04:56 GMT) bound for Kabul, according to the Ministry of Interior in Saxony. All 28 deportees, who were men, had been transported to Leipzig from various locations across Germany to board the flight.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, addressing the decision on social media platform X, asserted, “Our security counts, our constitutional state acts,” and extended her gratitude to the federal police and state authorities for their role in the operation.
The deportation, however, required Germany to navigate diplomatic complexities, as official relations with the Taliban government were severed following the group’s takeover and the ousting of then-President Ashraf Ghani in 2021. Despite the challenges, the German government managed to facilitate the process through alternative channels.
This deportation comes amid heightened tensions and public debate, particularly following the recent murder of a police officer by an Afghan immigrant, which has fueled anti-immigration sentiments and protests led by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
