BERLIN: Germany on Thursday deported 20 convicted criminals to Afghanistan under a new agreement reached with the Taliban government to allow direct expulsions, the interior ministry said.

Berlin had already resumed deporting criminals to Afghanistan in 2024, using Qatar as an intermediary.

But the agreement reached to enable Thursday's flight "creates a reliable basis for direct and permanent deportations to Afghanistan", Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said.

Drug offences

Those deported were men who had committed crimes in Germany, including sexual offences, bodily harm and drug offences, according to the interior ministry.

"Our society has an interest in ensuring that criminals leave our country. That is why we are acting consistently and expanding deportations step by step," Dobrindt said.

Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban's return to power in 2021.

But it resumed them as part of efforts to take a tougher line on migration to counter the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Two flights

Two deportation flights of convicted Afghans have left Germany since 2021: 28 were returned in autumn 2024 and 81 in July last year.

Germany's interior ministry had announced last year that direct discussions were taking place with the Taliban authorities.

No recognition

But the talks are controversial because Berlin does not recognize the Taliban administration in Kabul.

The interior ministry said it had been "working intensively in recent months to enable direct repatriations to Afghanistan without the support of third countries".

A ministry spokesman told AFP the deal was reached "during technical talks held by the government with the de facto government of Afghanistan in autumn 2025".

The EU has also initiated contacts with the Taliban government in Kabul to assess the feasibility of returns as it seeks to counter right-wing electoral gains across the bloc.

Afghans in Germany

Germany deports 20 Afghans after deal with Taliban