A three-member Taliban delegation has entered Germany on 30-day visas for a three-week visit aimed at laying the technical groundwork for the wider deportation of Afghan migrants, German media reported, in a visit that had been kept secret until now and was confirmed by Germany’s Foreign Ministry.
According to German broadcaster NDR, the delegation left Kabul last week, made a brief stop in Qatar and then travelled to Germany on visas issued by the German embassy in Doha.
The delegation is currently based at the Afghan embassy in Berlin’s Grunewald district, a diplomatic compound that has effectively been operated under Taliban influence since the fall of Afghanistan’s previous government.
NDR reported that the delegation’s mission had been kept confidential and away from public scrutiny in Germany, raising further concerns over technical cooperation between Berlin and the Taliban.
Focus on facilitating deportations
Germany’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the Taliban delegation’s presence in response to questions from NDR, saying the visit was “directly linked to the process of carrying out further deportations of Afghan citizens.”
The ministry said a temporary Taliban “technical support team” had been sent to Germany to establish the “technical prerequisites” needed for deportations.
Last year, two diplomats appointed by the Taliban also entered Germany. One is now effectively running the Afghan embassy in Berlin, while the other is overseeing Afghanistan’s consulate in Bonn.
The German government had said their duties included providing consular services to Afghans living abroad and facilitating the deportation process, an arrangement also envisaged in the coalition agreement of Germany’s governing parties.
Delegation to travel to Bonn and Munich
The Taliban delegation is also expected to travel next week to Bonn and Munich, according to information published by NDR.
Afghan consulates are active in both cities and play an important role in identifying migrants and issuing documents.
Previous mission focused on diplomatic control
NDR also reported that the delegation had travelled to Germany last year with a different mandate: to remove diplomats appointed by Afghanistan’s former government and take full control of the country’s diplomatic offices in Germany.
Security talks draw human rights criticism
In recent months, German government officials have held several rounds of talks with the Taliban on the deportation of Afghan migrants described as “criminals”. The talks have drawn strong criticism from human rights organizations.
Human rights activists have described the process as “whitewashing and greater engagement with the Taliban” and called on the German government to halt technical cooperation with the group.
The arrival of the new Taliban delegation in Germany indicates that technical cooperation between Berlin and the Taliban is expanding despite Germany’s formal non-recognition of the group.
The development could have significant implications for Afghan migrants in Europe while intensifying political and human rights debates in Germany.
