German Interior Ministry Official Meets Senior Taliban Leader in Kabul

Kokcha News Agency: A high-ranking official from Germany’s Interior Ministry met with Mohammad Nabi Omari, the Deputy Interior Minister of the Taliban, in Kabul on Wednesday, October 1st. Abdul Matin Qane, the Taliban’s Interior Ministry spokesperson, told a German news network that the meeting focused on the repatriation of Afghan criminals from Germany.

Qane stated that the meeting took place in a “friendly and positive atmosphere.” During the talks, they discussed alternatives to costly chartered flights, including the use of commercial flights for deportations.

Both the Taliban and German government officials have refrained from providing further details about the meeting. The German Interior Ministry confirmed to the ARD news agency that “technical talks” had taken place.

According to Tagesschau, the Taliban indicated that the discussions were not limited to deportations but also covered potential cooperation in various areas, including drug control.

The composition of the German delegation remains unclear, but ARD reported that the German representative was the head of a federal police department within the Interior Ministry.

Germany has not established direct diplomatic relations with the Taliban since their return to power in August 2021 and closed its embassy in Kabul following the collapse of the previous Afghan government.

Earlier, the German newspaper Bild reported that Interior Ministry officials would travel to Kabul in October to discuss the regular deportation of “criminals” using commercial flights.

The German Interior Minister’s efforts to negotiate with the Taliban have faced widespread criticism from opposition parties. The spokesperson for the Green Party’s domestic policy criticized the talks, accusing the ruling parties of “kowtowing” to a terrorist group.