Germany announced on Friday, August 30, the expulsion of Afghan nationals convicted by the courts – the first time since the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021. Deportations to Afghanistan were then completely halted.
“These are Afghan citizens, all of whom have been convicted by the courts and have no right to remain in Germany and have been subject to expulsion orders.”government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in a press release.
A Qatar Airways charter plane bound for Kabul took off from Leipzig airport before 7 a.m. local time on Friday with 28 Afghans on board, the magazine reported. The mirrorciting security sources.
The operation took place in total secrecy after two months of negotiations during which Qatar played the role of intermediary between the Taliban government and Berlin, he added. The mirrorMr. Hebestreit simply clarified that Germany had “called for support from key regional partners to facilitate evictions”.
Government under pressure
The expulsions come as the government announced tougher measures against illegal immigration and criminal asylum seekers the day before, on Thursday, following several recent crimes attributed to migrants. Germany remains in shock following a knife attack a week ago in Solingen in the west of the country that killed three people. The alleged perpetrator is a 26-year-old Syrian, suspected of having links to the jihadist organisation Islamic State.
Upon his arrival in Germany in December 2022, he received a deportation order to Bulgaria, where his entry had been registered and where he should have submitted his asylum application. But he disappeared when the German authorities wanted to deport him.
On Thursday, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said “work to quickly secure the return of dangerous criminals to Afghanistan and Syria”.
Concerns over immigration failures have put the government of Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz under particular pressure as two regional elections take place in eastern Germany on Sunday. Polls show the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is expected to win.
