A year after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, the German government promised that all local staff who once worked for German agencies could leave the country.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) assured the "Bild am Sonntag": "We will not leave them behind." She is currently working with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) on a new admissions program with "clear criteria".
The local staff used to work, for example, as civilian helpers for the German armed forces or as interpreters.
The return of the Taliban in August 2021 caused great concern for their lives.
Faeser put the total number of Afghans admitted to date who used to work as local staff for German agencies and their family members at 15,759.
She did not give exact numbers of how many more are expected.
According to figures from last week, Germany has assured a total of 23,614 local workers and relatives since the withdrawal of NATO troops.
More than 7,800 people would not have left Afghanistan.
Faeser: No deportations
The minister also assured that there would be no returns to Afghanistan in the foreseeable future.
"The deportations to Afghanistan are currently on hold - and given the current situation there, it will certainly have to stay that way."
Meanwhile, Afghanistan's former President Ashraf Ghani warned of a wave of refugees from his homeland.
"Millions will try to flee Afghanistan," said the former head of state to "Bild am Sonntag".
Of these, most people would aim for Germany.
"Whether they make it to Germany also depends on the smugglers," said Ghani, who now lives in exile in Abu Dhabi.
“They are part of a criminal network.
So it's a matter of affordability.”
Ghani was president when the Bundeswehr and the other foreign troops withdrew from Afghanistan after almost two decades.
A year ago - on August 15, 2021 - the Taliban recaptured the capital Kabul.