Germany to accept two Taliban consular officials in exchange for deporting criminal migrants

KABUL: The German federal government has announced that it will accept two consular officials from the Taliban in exchange for the group’s cooperation in deporting Afghan criminal migrants from the country. Stefan Cornelius, a spokesperson for the German government, stated on Monday, that “we have regular technical contacts with the current Taliban administration in Afghanistan, and as part of these interactions, it has been agreed that Taliban consular representatives will be present here to support planned returns.” According to Deutsche Welle, a source within the Taliban confirmed this decision but noted that it is not yet finalized and that discussions are ongoing. The German newspaper “Frankfurter Allgemeine” reported that the names of the two officials have been sent by the Taliban to Berlin, and they are expected to arrive in Germany soon. If implemented, Germany will be the first European country to officially accept Taliban representatives on its soil. Last week, Germany deported 81 Afghan migrants accused of committing crimes back to Afghanistan under an agreement with the Taliban. In August of the previous year, 28 migrants were also deported, but the process faced obstacles due to a lack of cooperation from the Taliban. Alexander Dobrindt, Germany’s Interior Minister, has recently called for direct talks with the Taliban to expedite the deportation process for these migrants.