Anadolu staff
18 July 2025•Update: 18 July 2025
BERLIN
Germany has deported 81 Afghan nationals who committed criminal offenses back to their home country, officials announced on Friday.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the deportations targeted men who were legally required to leave Germany and had committed criminal offenses.
"We are now implementing another aspect of the policy change outlined in the coalition agreement," the conservative politician said, adding that they plan to continue such deportation flights to Afghanistan.
“Serious criminals have no right to residency in our country,” he stressed.
The deportation flight was facilitated by Qatar, as Berlin has no official diplomatic relations with the Taliban-led interim government in Afghanistan, according to the Interior Ministry.
When asked about Friday's deportation flight, Chancellor Friedrich Merz told a news conference in Berlin that this was accomplished after weeks of negotiations, and thanked Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for his support.
Merz confirmed that German officials held "technical contacts" with the Taliban, but emphasized that these discussions did not constitute official diplomatic recognition of the de facto government in Afghanistan.
"Diplomatic relations exist between states, not between governments. In this respect, there was an opportunity to hold talks and that is what the German government pursued," he explained to reporters.
Germany's new conservative-led coalition government, which took power in May, has promised a significant immigration policy overhaul to curb irregular migration.
The government’s plan includes implementing checks at internal EU borders and streamlining deportation procedures, especially for rejected asylum seekers and those who have committed violent crimes.
