Overview
- German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt says negotiations with Taliban officials are close to completion to allow regular removals, including on scheduled flights.
- Austria deported a 1994‑born convicted offender via Istanbul to Kabul in the early hours of Tuesday, with officials handing the man to Taliban representatives and preparing further cases.
- Twenty EU countries have asked the European Commission to expand options for returning Afghan nationals without residency rights, reflecting coordinated pressure at the EU level.
- Roughly 30 people have been identified in preparatory steps for possible returns, and Germany previously conducted two Qatar‑mediated charter flights to avoid direct contacts.
- Greens and human-rights groups warn that such cooperation risks legitimising the Taliban and breaching non‑refoulement obligations, while Berlin stresses it does not recognize the regime diplomatically.