The minister calls for a deportation arrangement with Afghanistan's bordering countries.
The brutal knife attack in Mannheim has intensified discussions regarding the removal of criminal immigrants. Thuringia's Interior Minister, Georg Maier, thinks deporting criminals to Afghanistan is acceptable. This doesn't mean collaborating with the Taliban.
According to Georg Maier, a member of the SPD, discussions about expulsions with Afghanistan's neighbors, such as Pakistan, are needed. He said, "We don't need to negotiate with the Taliban, but now it's about involving communication with the neighboring countries, like with Pakistan or Iran."
Pakistan has previously deported people to Afghanistan due to concerns over their national security. "They don't want the Taliban's violence in their own land." Other neighboring countries share the same views. "If these countries deport, then we can also participate," Maier said. Ultimately, Maier sees deportations to the country ruled by the Taliban as acceptable.
"I believe that the security situation isn't so significant throughout the nation that we can't ship anyone there at all," said the state minister. Germany's interests in security are more important than the protection interests of extremists.
The source for the controversy over deporting immigrants to Afghanistan was an alleged Islamist strike on a demonstration by the pro-West movement Pax Europa in Mannheim. The 2013 Afghan refugee, who arrived in Germany at the age of a teenager, injured five activists and a policeman, all using a knife on Friday. The policeman later succumbed to his injuries.
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Despite the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan, Maier believes that deportations can still be carried out to the country. Following Pakistan's lead, other neighboring countries have also expressed concerns about the Taliban's violence and have deported individuals. In response to the knife attacks in Mannheim, discussions about expulsions with Afghanistan's neighbors have gained traction.
