After western troops left Afghanistan in 2021, Germany promised resettlement to around 2,000 people who had assisted German forces. Now, 200 of them have reportedly been deported back to Afghanistan from Pakistan.
The German Foreign Ministry said on Monday that 211 Afghans who were approved for resettlement in Germany were deported back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan from Pakistan, where they had been temporarily living.
According to a spokesperson, the German Foreign Ministry is in contact with the Pakistani authorities to enable these 211 people to return to Pakistan.
In the meantime, accommodation has reportedly been arranged for the deportees in Afghanistan with the help of a service provider.
How many Afghans were promised resettlement in Germany?
After the withdrawal of western forces from Afghanistan in 2021, Germany promised refuge to local staff who had supported German troops, as well as other Afghans facing persecution who fled to Pakistan.
More than 2,000 Afghans who received a promise of admission from Germany are still waiting to leave Pakistan for Germany.
These include human rights defenders, lawyers, teachers, or journalists, who fear persecution under the radical Islamic Taliban in Afghanistan.
Among them are about 350 former local staff of German institutions and their families.
For over a year now, Pakistan has been deporting large numbers of Afghan refugees.
Germany's new government has also paused resettlement plans, as it promised to get tougher on migration after taking office earlier this year.
Last week, when asked whether people who had already been deported from Pakistan to Afghanistan were now being brought back, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said there was contact with these individuals through the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and that they were receiving support.
Author: Matt Ford with AFP, dpa | Wesley Rahn
First published: August 18, 2025
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