Germany deports 25 convicted criminals to Afghanistan

Germany has deported 25 men to Afghanistan on a charter flight. 

The German Interior Ministry stated on Tuesday in response to an enquiry that the men committed criminal offences in Germany. 

According to a ministry spokesman, the aircraft took off from Leipzig overnight and arrived in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in the morning. 

The men had reportedly been convicted in Germany of manslaughter, rape, grievous bodily harm and drug offences.

The flight is linked to a direct agreement between the German government and the Taliban in Afghanistan, allowing Berlin to carry out regular deportations to the country without the involvement of intermediary states.