Germany deports 81 Afghans convicted of crimes

On Friday, Berlin said it had deported 81 Afghan men convicted of crimes in Germany in the second such operation to their Taliban-controlled homeland. Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Berlin has had only indirect contact with the Taliban authorities through third parties.

The previous government of Social Democrat chancellor Olaf Scholz expelled a group of 28 Afghans convicted of crimes on August 30, 2024, marking the first such action since the Taliban's return to power. Friday's operation was carried out with the help of Qatar, the German interior ministry said, adding that such expulsions must be able to continue in the future.