Following a car attack on a demonstration in Munich—an incident authorities are treating as an Islamist terrorist act—Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder has urged the German government to hold immediate negotiations with the Taliban regarding deportations to Afghanistan.
Söder stressed that Germany’s foreign and interior ministers “must begin direct negotiations with the Taliban starting Monday, February 17, to arrange deportation flights and prioritize protecting our country’s interests.”
He further called for weekly deportation flights.
“Enough! Germany needs an immediate action plan regarding Afghanistan,” Söder, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), stated in an interview with Bild am Sonntag on Sunday, February 16.
“Afghans subject to deportation must leave the country quickly, and visa issuance for new arrivals should be temporarily suspended,” the Bavarian premier added.
According to Söder, nearly 2,000 Afghan nationals currently residing in Bavaria are eligible for deportation, including around 200 individuals convicted of serious crimes.
The call for action follows a February 13 attack in which a driver rammed his vehicle into a crowd of demonstrators in Munich, injuring around 30 people. The suspect, an Afghan citizen, has admitted to carrying out the act intentionally.
