BERLIN, Germany –
Germany deported Afghan nationals to their homeland on Friday for the first time since August 2021 when the Taliban returned to power.
Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit described the 28 Afghan nationals as convicted criminals but did not clarify their offences.
“The security interests of Germany clearly outweigh the claim for protection of criminals and individuals endangering national security,” Hebestreit said in a statement.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, speaking near Leipzig during a local election campaign event Friday, called it “a clear sign that those who commit crimes cannot count on us not deporting them, but that we will look for ways to do so.”
German news agency dpa reported, citing information from the federal states involved in the deportations, that the offences included rape, serious arson and manslaughter.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called the …