Germany and Netherlands suspend deportations to Afghanistan

Germany will stop deporting failed asylum seekers back to Afghanistan.

Germany will temporarily stop deportations to Afghanistan due to the unstable security situation, the German Interior Ministry told DW on Wednesday.

It comes after the Netherlands suspended deportations to the country for six months.

Earlier in the day, the German Interior Ministry said it believed it would still be possible to deport Afghan asylum seekers, despite the Taliban quickly retaking parts of the country.

Interior Ministry spokesman Steve Alter said Wednesday nearly 30,000 Afghans in Germany were slated for deportation.

Alter told reporters the Ministry "continues to be of the view that there are people in Germany who need to leave the country, as soon as possible."

In the Netherlands, Ankie Broekers-Knol, the state secretary in the Ministry of Justice, told parliament in The Hague Wednesday deportations would be suspended for the next 12 months due to the Taliban's advances across Afghanistan.

The move is an about face as just last week, the Dutch government urged the Afghan government to continue to accept failed asylum seekers.

Since NATO forces announced their withdrawal from Afghanistan in early May, the Taliban have sought a battlefield victory making aggressive pushes for territorial gain as civilian casualties mount.

In recent days, the Taliban have captured nine out of 34 provincial capitals.

The decisions against deportation came after six European Union member states, including Germany, warned against stopping deportations from Europe.