A flight carrying 28 Afghan deportees departed Germany on Friday morning, marking the first deportation flight to Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power.
The flight left from Leipzig/Halle Airport, according to the Interior Ministry of Saxony
The operation, organized by the German Chancellery and the Interior Ministry, was in preparation for two months. The 28 deportees were brought to Leipzig overnight from detention centers, received €1,000 in cash, and were accompanied by a doctor, according to a report by the German newspaper Spiegel.
The German government initiated the deportations using Qatar as an intermediary, the report added. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition had consistently ruled out direct negotiations with the Taliban regime.
Calls for the deportation of criminals to Afghanistan and Syria have increased in recent weeks as the migration debate heats up in Germany. In the summer of 2021, Germany halted all deportations to Afghanistan due to the security situation as U.S. forces withdrew after 20 years and the Taliban regained power.
The issue of deporting asylum seekers has gained attention amid a political debate over asylum and deportation rules ahead of state elections.
The discussion intensified following several incidents of knife attacks involving Afghan and Syrian nationals in recent months.
