Germany said it carried out the first deportation of Afghans back to their home country since the Taliban took over in August 2021.
The coalition government in Berlin is under pressure to take a tougher stance on migration after knife attacks linked to the so-called "Islamic State" have been carried out in several German cities.
Germany stopped returning people to Afghanistan out of concern for human rights in that country when the Taliban returned to power in that country.
"These were Afghan citizens, all of them are convicted felons who have no right to stay in Germany and deportation orders have been issued against them," government spokesman Steffen Hebstreit said in a statement.
The German authorities announced that on Friday morning, a charter plane of Qatar Airways (Qatar Airways) took off from Leipzig/Halle airport for Kabul with 28 Afghan criminals who were brought from different parts of Germany.
The operation was organized by the German Federal Ministry of the Interior.
Germany does not maintain diplomatic relations with the Taliban authorities in Kabul.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after the deadly knife attack in Mannheim at the end of May that the deportation of the most dangerous criminals and terrorism suspects to Afghanistan and Syria will be made possible again.
This includes individuals whom the security authorities suspect may carry out the most serious politically motivated crimes, including terrorist attacks.
The debate has been reignited by last week's deadly knife attack in the western German city of Solingen that left three people dead. The main suspect is a 26-year-old Syrian who is believed to have evaded a deportation order.
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