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Germany planning another deportation flight to Afghanistan, newspaper says
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 27, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 27, 2026
Germany plans another deportation flight to Afghanistan for convicted criminals, amid debates on migration policies before the election.
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany is planning to fly a group of convicted criminals of Afghan nationality to their home country for the second time since the Taliban took power, newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Friday.
The newspaper quoted the interior ministry as saying it was working on the measure with the help of a regional partner and eyeing a departure shortly before Germany's Feb. 23 general election.
A spokesperson for the ministry confirmed that it is working on further deportations, but added that they have nothing to do with the election and that the flights will be carried out as soon as all conditions will be met.
German politicians are sharpening their stance on migration after violent attacks linked to foreign suspects, with Friedrich Merz, the chancellor candidate for the two allied conservative parties (CDU/CSU) and the front-runner in the election, planning to submit a controversial migration motion in the parliament next week.
Some critics say this move could potentially open the door to cooperation with the far-right nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is now in second place in nationwide polls.
Berlin initially stopped returning people to Afghanistan because of human rights concerns after the Taliban took power in 2021.
It had, however, sent one deportation flight thanks to the mediation of Qatar in August last year, right before regional elections in eastern Germany that saw the ruling Social Democrats and their coalition partner, the Greens, faring poorly.
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger and Andrey Sychev; Editing by Friederike Heine and Paul Simao)
Germany is planning to deport convicted criminals of Afghan nationality as part of its migration policy, particularly after violent attacks linked to foreign suspects.
Initially, Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan due to human rights concerns after the Taliban took power in 2021, but has since resumed flights.
While the interior ministry is working on deportations, a spokesperson clarified that these actions are not directly related to the February 23 general election.
Critics argue that the deportation flights could lead to increased cooperation with the far-right nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is gaining popularity in polls.
The last deportation flight to Afghanistan occurred in August of the previous year, facilitated by Qatar, just before regional elections in eastern Germany.
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