The German government is close to reaching an agreement with the Taliban that would significantly expand deportations of Afghan citizens, German newspaper BILD reported Sunday.
The German Interior Ministry, led by Alexander Dobrindt of the Christian Social Union, is preparing plans to carry out deportations more frequently and on a larger scale, according to the report. Unlike in the past, Afghan citizens would no longer be sent back solely on charter flights but also on scheduled commercial planes.
BILD said German officials met with Taliban representatives in Qatar in early September to discuss establishing a regular deportation mechanism. A follow-up mission to Kabul is being organized, with Qatari representatives acting as mediators.
Since the Taliban seized power in 2021, Germany has carried out only two deportation flights to Afghanistan: one in late 2024 with 28 Afghan nationals classified as serious criminals, and another in July 2025 with 81 deportees, the report said.
German police recorded 108,409 serious crimes involving at least one Afghan suspect between 2015 and 2024, according to government figures cited by BILD. At the end of 2024, some 461,000 people of Afghan origin were living in Germany, including about 347,600 asylum seekers.
Authorities say around 11,500 Afghans in Germany are required to leave the country, but the current system of small-scale charter flights makes large-scale deportations difficult.
The coalition agreement between the Christian Democrats, Christian Social Union and Social Democrats calls for expanded deportations to Afghanistan and Syria, beginning with convicted criminals and individuals deemed security threats.
Refugee organizations condemned the move. Pro Asyl, a German rights group, said deportations to Afghanistan violate international law due to the risk of torture or inhumane treatment under Taliban rule.
Germany’s Interior Ministry has not publicly commented on the reported negotiations.
