Germany has deported people to Afghanistan by charter flight. Twenty Afghan criminals were brought from Leipzig to Kabul on a charter flight, the Federal Ministry of the Interior announced.
According to the ministry, this was the first charter flight to be carried out without the support of other countries on the basis of a direct agreement. Qatar had acted as an intermediary for previous flights. Ministry employees have now found an agreement with the Islamist Taliban.
The contacts with the Taliban are controversial, as the German government does not officially maintain diplomatic relations with the Islamists, who have been back in power in Afghanistan since August 2021. They are internationally isolated due to their disregard for human rights and women's rights in particular.
Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) explained: "Our agreement creates a reliable basis for direct and permanent deportations to Afghanistan."
Men who were required to leave the country and had committed criminal offenses in Germany, including sexual offenses, assault and drug offenses, were deported.
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