Germany is carrying out deportations of Afghan nationals in a crackdown on migration.
“These were Afghan nationals, all of whom were convicted offenders who had no right to stay in Germany and against whom deportation orders had been issued,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement.
The 28 Afghans will be deported back to their home country on a charter jet today, Friday, August 30.
It is the first time since the Taliban took power in 2021 that Germany has deported Afghan criminals back to their home country.
“Germany’s security interests clearly outweigh the protection interests of criminals,” Hebestreit said.
Flight trackers show a Qatar Airways Boeing 787 departing from Leipzig to Kabul at around 7 am.
The operation was prepared over two months by the German Chancellery and Ministry of the Interior.
The Afghan nationals were brought to Leipzig last night from detention centers. They received €1,000 cash and were accompanied by a doctor, reported German newspaper, Spiegel.
Chancellor Sholz ruled out direct negotiations with the Taliban and used Qatar as an intermediary when planning the deportations.
In 2021, Germany stopped all deportations to Afghanistan when US forces pulled out of the country.
Calls for the deportation of criminals to Afghanistan and Syria from Germany have been increasing in the past weeks. The debate over migration has become heated in Germany as the country approaches three state elections. Polling predicts a surge for the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
On Thursday, the German government announced a tougher migration policy.
The flight to Kabul came days after a deadly stabbing at a city festival in the German city, of Solingen. A Syrian suspected Islamic State terrorist was arrested over the killing of three people.
