Taliban Officials to Visit Brussels Ahead of Afghan Migrant Deportations
According to reports, a delegation from the Taliban administration is set to visit Brussels, the capital of Belgium, in the coming weeks to discuss the process of deporting Afghan migrants without legal residency from European Union member states.
Agence France-Presse, citing informed sources, has reported that the European Union is working on plans to repatriate Afghans whose asylum requests have been rejected or who lack residence permits back to Afghanistan. The visit, according to sources, is being coordinated with the European Commission and several member countries of the EU; however, an official invitation from the European Commission has not yet been issued.
The meeting was initially scheduled for late March but has now been postponed to the coming weeks. A diplomatic source stated that the goal is to invite the Taliban delegation before summer begins.
According to sources, the delegation will be a technical team, with discussions focusing on topics such as return flights, the capacity of Kabul airport, and the fate of those being sent back to Afghanistan. European officials are currently gathering information on these matters.
While the Taliban administration has not yet commented on the issue, the fate of returnees to a country facing extensive social and economic restrictions remains a serious concern for human rights organizations. Many Afghan migrants fear facing security and livelihood challenges upon their return.
