https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed More than 250 human rights groups and other NGOs on Tuesday renewed pressure on the German government to take in hundreds of Afghans stranded in Pakistan who had been offered sanctuary by Berlin. https://www.thelocal.de/20251209/renewed-pressure-on-german-government-over-stranded-afghans Tue, 09 Dec 2025 15:15:48 +0100 renewed-pressure-on-german-government-over-stranded-afghans A new group of Afghans who had been promised refuge in Germany arrived in the country on Wednesday, the latest to escape months of limbo in Pakistan. https://www.thelocal.de/20250924/a-second-group-of-afghans-arrive-in-germany-after-limbo-in-pakistan Wed, 24 Sep 2025 18:50:28 +0200 a-second-group-of-afghans-arrive-in-germany-after-limbo-in-pakistan A group of 47 Afghans who fled the Taliban arrived in Germany on Monday after months of waiting in Pakistan until German court rulings forced Berlin to offer them refuge. https://www.thelocal.de/20250902/first-afghan-families-allowed-into-germany-from-pakistan Tue, 02 Sep 2025 11:04:52 +0200 first-afghan-families-allowed-into-germany-from-pakistan A former head of German foreign intelligence said Thursday he met with former Afghan president Hamid Karzai to discuss Berlin's aim to deport Afghans to their Taliban-controlled homeland. https://www.thelocal.de/20250711/german-afghan-officials-meet-over-plan-to-deport-afghans Fri, 11 Jul 2025 11:54:41 +0200 german-afghan-officials-meet-over-plan-to-deport-afghans Afghan sisters Tamana and Zarmina Paryani admit that they harbour little illusion about what their 12-day-long hunger strike in western Germany could bring against the Taliban government, but for them, staying silent is not an option. https://www.thelocal.de/20230911/how-two-afghan-sisters-are-taking-the-battle-against-the-taliban-to-cologne Mon, 11 Sep 2023 13:04:16 +0200 how-two-afghan-sisters-are-taking-the-battle-against-the-taliban-to-cologne German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday called for a dialogue with the Taliban as the hardline Islamists finalise a new government that will set the tone for their rule in Afghanistan. https://www.thelocal.de/20210905/germanys-merkel-says-talks-with-taliban-must-continue-to-evacuate-more-people Sun, 05 Sep 2021 20:58:28 +0200 germanys-merkel-says-talks-with-taliban-must-continue-to-evacuate-more-people Left-wing opposition calls for more to be done in second half of year for Afghan asylum seekers. https://www.thelocal.de/20210830/germany-takes-in-close-to-50000-refugees-in-first-half-of-2021 Mon, 30 Aug 2021 19:06:32 +0200 germany-takes-in-close-to-50000-refugees-in-first-half-of-2021 He was once a minister in Afghanistan but quit, fed up with the corruption. Now in Germany, Sayed Sadaat is making a living delivering meals as a bicycle courier. https://www.thelocal.de/20210830/work-is-work-afghan-ex-minister-now-delivers-food-in-germany Mon, 30 Aug 2021 14:05:18 +0200 work-is-work-afghan-ex-minister-now-delivers-food-in-germany Germany has pulled out all its soldiers from Afghanistan with its last evacuation flight from Kabul, Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said Thursday. https://www.thelocal.de/20210826/merkel-postpones-israel-visit-over-afghanistan-pullout Thu, 26 Aug 2021 18:55:41 +0200 merkel-postpones-israel-visit-over-afghanistan-pullout Angela Merkel confirmed in the Bundestag on Wednesday that the Germany army had evacuated 4,600 people from the country, while stressing that the international community needed to keep talking to the Taliban in order to secure the gains of the past 20 years. https://www.thelocal.de/20210825/we-need-to-talk-to-taliban-to-preserve-afghanistan-gains-says-merkel Wed, 25 Aug 2021 16:32:50 +0200 we-need-to-talk-to-taliban-to-preserve-afghanistan-gains-says-merkel The German army has airlifted more than 2,700 people out of Kabul using military planes, it emerged on Monday, as the situation on the ground becomes more intense. https://www.thelocal.de/20210823/german-army-evacuates-more-than-2700-people-from-afghanistan Mon, 23 Aug 2021 12:29:57 +0200 german-army-evacuates-more-than-2700-people-from-afghanistan The German army has evacuated more than 1,600 people from Afghanistan since Monday as fears grow over revenge acts by the Taliban. https://www.thelocal.de/20210820/germany-rescues-more-than-1600-people-from-afghanistan-amid-fears-of-revenge-taliban-acts Fri, 20 Aug 2021 12:04:29 +0200 germany-rescues-more-than-1600-people-from-afghanistan-amid-fears-of-revenge-taliban-acts Hundreds more people from Afghanistan landed in Frankfurt early on Thursday as the frantic rescue operation continues. https://www.thelocal.de/20210819/the-world-needs-to-help-germany-scrambles-to-evacuate-more-people-from-afghanistan Thu, 19 Aug 2021 12:19:35 +0200 the-world-needs-to-help-germany-scrambles-to-evacuate-more-people-from-afghanistan Germany said Wednesday it had brought around 500 people out of Afghanistan, including 202 Afghans. States are vowing to take in displaced people at short notice. https://www.thelocal.de/20210818/german-states-vow-to-take-in-thousands-of-afghan-refugees Wed, 18 Aug 2021 19:45:55 +0200 german-states-vow-to-take-in-thousands-of-afghan-refugees The first Bundeswehr evacuation flight from Kabul, Afghanistan, carried only seven people, it emerged on Tuesday. Why? https://www.thelocal.de/20210817/afghanistan-german-military-plane-carried-just-seven-people-from-kabul-evacuees Tue, 17 Aug 2021 13:45:04 +0200 afghanistan-german-military-plane-carried-just-seven-people-from-kabul-evacuees German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday called for coordinated, "controlled" EU action to take in the most vulnerable people from Afghanistan after the Taliban regained control over the country. https://www.thelocal.de/20210817/merkel-urges-coordinated-afghan-refugee-response-from-eu Tue, 17 Aug 2021 19:14:32 +0200 merkel-urges-coordinated-afghan-refugee-response-from-eu Germany is one of several European countries to announce it will stop sending development aid to Afghanistan for now, after the Taliban swept back into power in the country. https://www.thelocal.de/20210817/germany-halts-development-aid-for-afghanistan Tue, 17 Aug 2021 18:37:13 +0200 germany-halts-development-aid-for-afghanistan German Chancellor Angela Merkel has described the international mission in Afghanistan as a major disappointment, and said the country would do all it could to get citizens out of the country. https://www.thelocal.de/20210816/afghanistan-situation-is-bitter-dramatic-and-terrible-says-merkel Mon, 16 Aug 2021 22:02:45 +0200 afghanistan-situation-is-bitter-dramatic-and-terrible-says-merkel German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that efforts must be focused on getting German nationals as well as Afghans who had worked with Germans out of Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power. https://www.thelocal.de/20210816/german-forces-to-help-evacuate-people-from-afghanistan Mon, 16 Aug 2021 12:41:14 +0200 german-forces-to-help-evacuate-people-from-afghanistan