Germany begins Afghan deportations with €1,000 cash incentive

On July 18, Germany carried out its first deportation flight under the new government, expelling Afghan nationals convicted of criminal offences.

As Spiegel reports, the deportation involved 81 individuals and was conducted aboard a Qatar Airways charter flight that departed from Leipzig and flew directly to Kabul, per Caliber.Az.

According to the German Interior Ministry, many of those deported had been found guilty of violent or sexual crimes. Each deportee was given €1,000 in cash to meet their immediate needs upon return to Afghanistan.

This payment serves a legal purpose: it is intended to prevent German courts from overturning the deportations on the grounds that those expelled would face destitution upon arrival.

Spiegel also notes that Berlin arranged the deportation through Qatar to avoid direct dealings with the Taliban regime.

Citing its own sources, the publication adds that the Taliban had indicated a willingness to cooperate on accepting deported Afghan nationals — particularly those with criminal backgrounds — if Germany were to show movement toward diplomatic recognition of the Taliban government.

While Berlin has not formally recognised the regime, it is known that Germany's foreign intelligence service maintains an active presence in Kabul and has established lines of communication with Taliban security forces.

By Tamilla Hasanova