A special flight from Germany carrying 125 deported Afghans has arrived in Kabul, in a sign that the Berlin government is taking steps to reduce the number of people seeking asylum.
Afghans have become Germany’s second largest group of asylum seekers, after Syrians, with 154,000 arriving in 2015. Those arriving in Kabul all left voluntarily, German officials said.
Hope of securing asylum in Europe has become increasingly difficult for Afghans in recent days.
Macedonia has stopped allowing Afghans across its border with Greece, giving access to only Syrians and Iraqis, leaving thousands of people stranded since Monday.
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the return of Afghans was part of its commitment to help rebuild their country. “This is also key to a successful fight against the root cause of people fleeing,” he said.
Almost 102,000 people have arrived on the Greek islands from Turkey since the start of 2016. According to the UN: 44% are from Syria, 29% from Afghanistan, 17% from Iraq.
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