In a significant development, Germany has carried out its first deportation of Afghan nationals since the Taliban took power in Kabul in August 2021. The operation, organized by Germany's federal Interior Ministry, saw a Qatar Airways charter jet departing from Leipzig/Halle Airport in the state of Saxony, carrying 28 Afghan offenders back to their home country.

According to government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, all of the deported individuals were convicted offenders who had no right to stay in Germany and had deportation orders against them. The flight took off at 6:56 am local time, following months of secret negotiations with mediator Qatar.

The German government expressed its gratitude to "key regional partners" for their support in making the deportation possible. It noted that further deportations of asylum-seekers to Afghanistan were being planned, although Germany does not have direct diplomatic relations with the Taliban regime.

The decision to resume deportations comes after Germany had temporarily suspended such actions due to concerns about human rights following the Taliban's takeover. However, the discussion around asylum and deportation rules has become a heated political debate in Germany, especially in the lead-up to state elections in Thuringia and Saxony, where the anti-immigrant AfD party is currently leading in the polls.

The debate intensified following a deadly knife attack in Mannheim at the end of May, where a failed asylum seeker from Syria killed three people and injured eight during a festival marking Solingen's 650th anniversary. Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the deportation of the most dangerous criminals and terror suspects to Afghanistan and Syria would be possible again.

It remains to be seen how this deportation and the resumption of such actions will impact the ongoing discussions surrounding migration policies in Germany. With state elections approaching, the issue is likely to remain at the forefront of political discourse, as concerns about security and public safety become increasingly intertwined.