Overview
- Hamburg deported two convicted Afghan men on escorted commercial flights via Istanbul to Kabul, according to the city’s interior authority.
- The men, ages 30 and 32, had convictions for repeated assault, with one also found guilty of attacking police officers and the other of theft with a weapon and making threats.
- Hamburg interior senator Andy Grote said protecting public safety outweighs an offender’s interest to stay and called the removals a security gain for the city.
- The federal government said about a month ago it sees no reason to change Kabul deportations despite heightened Afghanistan–Pakistan tensions cited by critics.
- Earlier this year authorities flew 20 Afghan convicts from Leipzig on a charter under a direct deal with Taliban officials, and BILD reports additional charter returns and regular flights are now running as Berlin expands the program.