SCHKEUDITZA(Saxony Germany.August 30/AP/AFP/DW/Correspondent LP/ –A deportation flight bound for Afghanistan departed from Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany, the Interior Ministry of Saxony confirmed on Friday. This marks the first instance of Afghan nationals being deported back to their homeland since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021.
A Qatar Airways flight carrying 28 Afghan men departed from Germany for Kabul early on 30 August. This marks the first instance of deportations to Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021.
The flight took off from Leipzig/Halle Airport, with the deportees having been transported from various parts of Germany to the airport by the Interior Ministry. The men, all convicted criminals, had no legal right to remain in Germany and were subject to deportation orders, according to a statement by government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
Despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations with the Taliban, the deportation was facilitated with the help of regional partners, although details of these arrangements remain undisclosed. A senior official from the Taliban’s Transportation and Civil Aviation Ministry, speaking anonymously, confirmed that they had approved the landing of the flight at Kabul International Airport, but declined to provide further information about the passengers.
The operation follows two months of secret negotiations, during which Qatar, maintaining ongoing contacts with the Taliban, acted as an intermediary between Germany and the Taliban-led government. This development comes after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s June announcement to resume deportations of dangerous criminals and terror suspects to Afghanistan and Syria.
The decision has sparked significant debate in Germany, particularly ahead of regional elections on 1 September in Saxony and Thuringia, where anti-immigration parties are expected to perform well. Critics, including Amnesty International Germany, have condemned the resumption of deportations, arguing that it violates international law and puts the deportees at risk of persecution in Afghanistan.
The deportations have only affected a small number of individuals, but the move has intensified discussions around Germany’s immigration policies and its commitments to international human rights standards.
