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dpa
Berlin
There are no plans to halt deportations to Afghanistan, a German Interior Minister spokesperson said in Berlin on Wednesday, after a flight carrying deportees was cancelled at short notice.
The flight, originally scheduled for late on Tuesday, would go ahead as soon as possible, he said.
Six Afghan men due to be flown from Munich to Kabul had already been brought to the Bavarian capital city when the flight was cancelled.
The spokesperson said the flight was cancelled on account of explosions in Kabul, and the decision had been taken not to impose an additional burden on the Afghan authorities. It was also not clear whether the men would have been safe on arrival.
The six men, all convicted of crimes, who were to have been escorted by police to Kabul, were taken into custody again, the spokesperson said.
Ahead of the flight, several people were injured in an explosion in the Afghan capital near the home of the acting defence minister. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
In the last few years, Germany has several times sent Afghan men - primarily those convicted of crimes or seen as a potential terrorist threat - back to Afghanistan against their will.
Since NATO troops started to withdraw from Afghanistan in May and the Taliban has expanded its control over parts of the country, the deportations are becoming increasingly controversial.
While politicians from Germany’s Greens and Die Linke (The Left) party are against sending Afghans back, given the recent Taliban advances, the German government has maintained its deportation policy.
Almost daily attacks and an increase in military offensives by the Taliban are taking a toll on civilians in Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of people have fled fighting inside the country.
Berlin
There are no plans to halt deportations to Afghanistan, a German Interior Minister spokesperson said in Berlin on Wednesday, after a flight carrying deportees was cancelled at short notice.
The flight, originally scheduled for late on Tuesday, would go ahead as soon as possible, he said.
Six Afghan men due to be flown from Munich to Kabul had already been brought to the Bavarian capital city when the flight was cancelled.
The spokesperson said the flight was cancelled on account of explosions in Kabul, and the decision had been taken not to impose an additional burden on the Afghan authorities. It was also not clear whether the men would have been safe on arrival.
The six men, all convicted of crimes, who were to have been escorted by police to Kabul, were taken into custody again, the spokesperson said.
Ahead of the flight, several people were injured in an explosion in the Afghan capital near the home of the acting defence minister. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
In the last few years, Germany has several times sent Afghan men - primarily those convicted of crimes or seen as a potential terrorist threat - back to Afghanistan against their will.
Since NATO troops started to withdraw from Afghanistan in May and the Taliban has expanded its control over parts of the country, the deportations are becoming increasingly controversial.
While politicians from Germany’s Greens and Die Linke (The Left) party are against sending Afghans back, given the recent Taliban advances, the German government has maintained its deportation policy.
Almost daily attacks and an increase in military offensives by the Taliban are taking a toll on civilians in Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of people have fled fighting inside the country.
