For about twenty years the Germany participated in a multinational power under the leadership of the US, who fought against the Taliban. About 5,300 staff were Bundesver’s longest and highest mission abroad. Following the naughty west flight from the country four years ago, in August 2021, fanatical Islamists are now the ones who rule the country. Much of the population of Afghanistan, especially women, suffer from the harsh theocratic regime, which most countries on the planet have not recognized.

The Taliban has issued more than 70 decrees with many restrictions or bans on girls’ education in secondary schools, costume codes, segregation in workplaces, free circulation of women without male guardians, women accessing women, women access to public spaces. Due to the prohibition of secondary education 1.5 million teenage girls are out of school.

Dobrids want to negotiate

Last weekend, German interior minister Alexander Dobrid officially confirmed that German senior state officials would travel to Kabul in October to negotiate with representatives of his power there. This announcement has sparked natural reactions. How can you negotiate with a brutal regime with which you do not even maintain official diplomatic relationships. Especially when this negotiation depends on the lives of people, who will be forced to return there despite their will and by unknown luck.

To German journalists’ questions about who will be the “negotiators” on both sides and exactly what they will negotiate, especially with which possible rewards have not been answered so far. A spokesman for the interior ministry spoke of a “journey of identification character”.

This has naturally sparked political controversy. Apart from the Left and the Greens have disagreed with this choice, reminding the minister that he cannot overlook the fact that for the EU the Taliban remains a terrorist Islamist organization.

Two flights so far

Dobrid’s reaction was immediate and angry. The Bavarian Christian Socialist recalled that the first “return” flight through Qatar had become the previous government, whose Greens were part of. Then the Social Democrat Chancellor Saltz had admitted that he had also been consulted with Kabul. The deportations were convicted of criminal and other offenses.

The same was true for the “passengers” of the second chartered flight under the current Martz government last July. At that time, 81 special flight criminals were deported, launched by Leipzig Airport. But Dobrid wants to increase the number of deportations beyond the “criminal”, as well as aiming to be used for this purpose not only extraordinary charter flights but also regular air routes.

It actually seeks to normalize the process of returns. This is considered by many to be an additional step, a further indirect recognition of an inhumane regime.

How “safe” is Afghanistan?

The confrontation continues to await the disclosure of more information on the date, content and possible results of bilateral contacts. Any “moral obstacles” have been overcome as they all show and this is not just Germany. The deportations of more Afghans back home seems to be a key concern of a series of European governments, in the context of the new asylum and immigration policy.

This may be the reason why we are more rarely found in the European press information on the abolition of basic human and political rights in the country, but also on the huge humanitarian crisis, affecting more than 20 million people, while at least 12 million are in food insecurity.

Sources: ARD, EU