Afghan collaborators left in limbo as Germany scales back resettlement promises
Hundreds of Afghans who aided German forces remain stranded in Pakistan after Berlin halted its special admission program, despite earlier assurances.
After the Taliban seized control, Germany pledged to relocate Afghans who worked with its military and aid agencies, and over 37,000 have arrived so far. In May 2025 the coalition led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz ended the special program, leaving roughly 600 former staff and their families stuck in Pakistan and Kabul. One of them, Javad Niazi, describes life in a cramped shelter with no schooling for his children and daily security risks.
The Federal Constitutional Court in July 2026 declared the blanket revocation unlawful, demanding individual assessments, though the Interior Ministry maintains the right to adjust admissions based on shifting political interests. German Foreign Minister Alexander Dobrindt offered voluntary payments to those who forgo relocation, and about 300 have accepted. NGOs like Kabul-Luftbrücke have rescued thousands and now focus on legal support, having helped over a thousand people travel to Germany since late 2025.
Why it matters
The story highlights the human impact of shifting asylum policies and legal challenges in Europe.
How this story developed
- Aug 7 Bus driver knocks explosive drone from the sky at NATO hub airport
- Aug 9 Days later, two drones were observed hovering over a German military base in Mechernich.
- Aug 11 Germany’s decision to cancel its Afghan staff resettlement program has left hundreds stranded, prompting a constitutional court ruling that the blanket ban violates the prohibition on arbitrariness.
- Aug 12 UNESCO released a new estimate that 2.4 million Afghan girls are barred from secondary education.
- Aug 12 U.S. intelligence officials have indicated that Russian military intelligence may have been behind the explosive drone.
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