The German foreign office announced on Friday that a group of 188 Afghan men and women were on a charter flight that left the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Thursday (January 25). The group included people approved for admission to Germany under the Federal Admission Program (Bundesaufnahmeprogram) as well as the relocation program for former local employees of government agencies and the military (Bundeswehr).

The German government launched these programs for Afghans following the withdrawal of international troops and the takeover by the Taliban in mid-August 2021.

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A previous group of Afghans was relocated from Pakistan to Germany in early December. The group – also 188 people – was the first to be flown to Germany since Pakistan began deporting Afghan refugees without residence status. The German government said in November that there were about 3,000 Afghans in Pakistan who had been offered the prospect of admission but were still waiting to be brought to Germany.

The total number of Afghans due to be relocated to Germany stands at more than 11,000, including those stranded in Iran and those still in Afghanistan.

With dpa