Germany is poised to deport approximately 12,000 Afghans back to their home country after failing to obtain asylum.
There are currently upwards of 247,000 Afghans in the country and the German authorities want to deport roughly 5% of them, according to Osnabrucker Neue Zeitung.
Despite the volatile political situation in Afghanistan, German authorities have deemed the large urban centres safe for former inhabitants to return.
German authorities will send more than 12,000 Afghans back to their country after they failed to obtain asylum https://t.co/UJb66siNRR
— POLITICO Europe (@POLITICOEurope) November 17, 2016
Last week, a truck bomb exploded outside the German consulate in Masar-i-Scharif, killing six people and injuring scores more.
According to Politico, the European Union made a deal with the Afghan government which outlined a return of their citizens although the EU Commission denied the deal had anything to do with a multi-billion euro aid package the bloc had committed to the war-torn country.
Germany is in the midst of a refugee influx due to its 'open door' policy which has brought intense political pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Her approval rating plummeted from 63% to a five year low of 45% recently.
The mass arrival of migrants has also seen seen a rise in support for right-wing political parties.
