Would-be Merkel successor says Afghans who commit crimes should be sent home

Germany's conservative candidate for chancellor is in favour of sending home asylum seekers from Afghanistan who engage in criminal activity regardless of rising tensions in the country. "We are monitoring the situation in Afghanistan very closely. We cannot ignore the advance of the Taliban and the consequences for the population," Armin Laschet (pictured above) said in remarks to the tabloid Bild published on Monday.

"The situation therefore requires ongoing assessment and careful action in the event of returns. But our line remains clear: Anyone who commits a criminal offence in Germany has forfeited their right to stay as a guest," Laschet said.

The principle of zero tolerance towards criminals "does not allow any exceptions," Laschet added. "Criminals must continue to be consistently deported, including to Afghanistan."

The German government has retained its policy of allowing the deportation of rejected asylum seekers to Afghanistan, even as the militant Islamist Taliban makes advances following the withdrawal of international troops from the country.

The deportations are deeply controversial, with critics saying the war-torn country is too dangerous to send asylum seekers back to. The Interior Ministry last week said it was considering a call by the Afghan government to suspend deportations to Afghanistan given the increasing violence and rising number of Covid-19 cases in the country.

At the weekend, Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) also spoke in favour of continuing with deportations to Afghanistan. "We are currently negotiating with Afghanistan so that we can continue to deport criminals there," he told the Bild am Sonntag Sunday newspaper. (dpa)