Germany deports 25 convicted Afghan criminals to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan

Germany deported 25 Afghan men convicted of serious crimes including manslaughter, rape, aggravated assault, and drug offenses to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan overnight, the Interior Ministry confirmed. The charter flight landed in Kabul on the morning of April 28, 2026.

The deportees were described by the Interior Ministry as "vollziehbar ausreisepflichtige Männer" (men subject to enforceable deportation). The 25 men came from 13 German states and were brought to Leipzig on Monday evening before being flown out.

The aircraft was an Airbus A320 operated by Turkish airline Freebird, according to Der Spiegel. The flight made a stopover in Trabzon, Turkey before continuing to Kabul, where the deportees were handed over to the Taliban upon arrival.

The deportation was based on an agreement between the German Interior Ministry and the Taliban de facto government. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) said the agreement creates a "reliable basis for direct and permanent deportations to Afghanistan."

In late February 2026, Germany deported 20 Afghan men under a similar arrangement. That was the first flight directly negotiated by German officials with the Taliban.

Germany does not maintain diplomatic relations with the Taliban, who have ruled Afghanistan since August 2021. The Interior Ministry declined to comment on possible arrangements regarding what would happen to the deportees in their home country.