Germany, Netherlands suspend deportations to Afghanistan

Germany and the Netherlands have suspended deportations of migrants to Afghanistan due to the tense security situation in the country

BERLIN -- Germany and the Netherlands have suspended any deportations of migrants to Afghanistan due to the tense security situation as Taliban insurgents make sweeping gains in the Central Asian country. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer ordered the suspension “for the time being,” spokesman Steve Alter said Wednesday. Earlier, Alter said that almost 30,000 Afghans in Germany are currently required to leave the country. In the Netherlands, Justice State Secretary Ankie Broekers-Knol wrote to parliament that changes in Afghanistan were so unpredictable “that a decision was taken to impose a departure moratorium.” She said the decision was justified by “the worsening situation and the possibility to wait for a decision until there is a more stable assessment of the situation.” She said no forced deportations to Afghanistan had been immediately planned ahead of her decision.