Germany Expands Technical Engagement With Taliban

DID Press: Germany has expanded its technical engagement with the Taliban as part of a new policy aimed at increasing the deportation of Afghan nationals, with Taliban-appointed representatives now overseeing Afghanistan’s embassy in Berlin and consulate in Bonn.

German authorities said four additional Taliban diplomats are expected to arrive soon to facilitate the issuance of travel documents required for deportation procedures.

Meanwhile, former Afghan Consul General in Bonn, Hamid Nangyalai Kabiri, who resigned in September 2025 after refusing to cooperate with the Taliban, has applied for asylum in Germany. He says security concerns prevent him from moving freely and describes Berlin’s approach as a “double standard.”

Kabiri said asylum applicants were previously screened to ensure they had no links to the Taliban, yet he now risks losing his own legal status because of his refusal to work with the group. He also described the Taliban as a terrorist organization, citing his personal experiences under their rule and the deaths of former classmates.

The German government says technical cooperation with Taliban authorities is necessary to facilitate deportations of Afghan nationals. The Interior Ministry noted that Afghan diplomatic missions in Germany play a critical role in issuing replacement travel documents required under German law.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has stressed that Germany does not recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government and has no intention of granting the group political legitimacy. However, he defended technical cooperation as necessary to return Afghan nationals convicted of crimes, backing the policy of Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt.

Critics argue that the Taliban are using Germany’s reliance on deportation flights as political leverage. Reports indicate that the group recently canceled a planned deportation flight to Kabul despite German police preparations, citing a shortage of diplomatic personnel in Germany.

Human rights advocates have also warned that placing consular services under Taliban-appointed officials forces many Afghans who fled the group to seek documents from the same authorities they escaped, potentially exposing them and their families to security risks.