After the deadly attacks by Afghan refugees in Aschaffenburg and Munich and the demand for more deportations to the Hindu Kush, even the admission programs for protected Afghans have come under criticism. Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz called them “utterly absurd”.
New numbers from the still-serving federal government, reported by the “Spiegel”, show that the programs are far from being exhausted. According to these figures, 94 Afghans were brought to Germany in 2023 under the Federal Admission Program to protect them from the Taliban regime, compared to 1,078 in the previous year. The program is designed to accept 12,000 people annually.
Older programs for local forces, such as those supported by the German Federal Armed Forces in Afghanistan, or individuals considered particularly at risk because they had promoted democracy, are also far from being completed. Germany had, for example, taken in 20,698 local forces, including family members, since 2021, with 4,131 still pending in the waiting list, mostly in Pakistan. Of the strongly endangered individuals, 13,842 had already arrived, while 6,476 were still waiting with a promise.
Meanwhile, time is running out for the majority in Pakistan, as the government has announced that all Afghans must leave the country by the end of March at the latest. The Foreign Office, in turn, stated that granted promises remained valid, but the continuation of the programs was uncertain and a new federal government would have to decide on this.