No Afghans Deported from Germany to Afghanistan Since Taliban Takeover
The Claim
Germany has commenced the deportation of Afghan nationals. The first flight, carrying 250 Afghans, departed from Germany and traveled via Turkey, finally arriving in Afghanistan.
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Recently, social media users widely circulated a video clip purporting to show the first flight of 250 Afghans deported from Germany. Users alleged that the flight traveled from Germany through Turkey, marking the beginning of Germany's plan to deport Afghan nationals back to Afghanistan.
A user on X shared the video that has garnered over two million views, along with the caption, “Germany has commenced the deportation of Afghan nationals. The first flight, carrying 250 Afghans, departed from Germany and traveled via Turkey, finally arriving in Afghanistan.”
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the viral footage and found the claim to be misleading.
The video does not feature the first flight carrying Afghans deported from Germany to Afghanistan.
The Video Does Not Show Germany Deporting Afghans
Despite the viral claim on social media, the video has no relation to Germany’s deportation plan, and the claim is baseless.
Misbar's investigative team conducted a detailed analysis of the plane and identified it as an Ariana Afghan Airlines plane. A close comparison of the plane seats and the airline's logo confirmed this match.
Misbar’s investigative team also examined the destination map on Ariana Afghan Airlines' official website and found that the airline has only nine to ten destinations worldwide. Notably, the airline does not operate flights to or from Germany.
Instead, it has scheduled flights arriving in Istanbul, Turkey. This information supports the likelihood that the circulating video was captured during a flight from Afghanistan to Turkey, as the travelers in the video mentioned they were in Turkey.
No Afghans Deported from Germany to Afghanistan Since the Taliban’s Takeover
On June 4, Reuters reported that Germany is considering deporting Afghan migrants deemed a security risk back to Afghanistan following a knife attack that resulted in the death of a police officer. This proposal has sparked controversy as Germany refrains from repatriating individuals to countries where they face potential harm, having suspended deportations to Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
Negotiating with the Taliban, some of whose officials are subject to international sanctions, remains a significant challenge for Germany.
Just days before European elections, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated she had been extensively reviewing the issue for months and aimed to reach a decision quickly. She emphasized to reporters that this plan could involve sending people to Afghanistan and Syria. She underscored Germany's security interests over the concerns of "those affected," noting efforts to expedite deportations to other countries are already underway.
Amidst Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats-led coalition, which includes the Greens, there is opposition to plans for deportations to Afghanistan.
Germany Considers Migration Pact with Uzbekistan for Afghans
On June 16, Bloomberg reported that Germany is exploring a potential migration pact with Uzbekistan that could involve deporting Afghan asylum seekers, avoiding direct negotiations with the Taliban.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser dispatched officials to Tashkent in late May for talks on this proposed pact, which is still under negotiation.
Under the envisioned agreement, Uzbekistan would accept a limited number of Afghan asylum seekers rejected by Germany and facilitate their onward travel to Afghanistan via a private airline service to Kabul. The Uzbek government is reportedly open to the idea but seeks provisions in the pact that would also enable legal migration of workers from Uzbekistan to Germany.
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