Afghanistan five years of Taliban rule: Has Germany kept its promises?
After the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, Berlin promised to bring all the Afghan local staff members to Germany. But people are still waiting to leave in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In the five years since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, Germany has faced scrutiny over its promises to assist Afghan nationals. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas had pledged in 2021 to continue aiding those who helped Germany, while others, like Javad Niazi, a former Bundeswehr employee, have found their promises unkept.
As of June 2026, over 37,000 Afghan nationals had arrived in Germany, but Javad Niazi remains in Pakistan, desperate to escape Taliban rule. Germany, under Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition government, scrapped its resettlement programs in May 2025, leaving 600 Afghans, including Javad, uncertain about their futures. The German government has offered financial incentives for these individuals to return home, but many remain hesitant.
The issue has been addressed through the court system, with the Federal Constitutional Court ruling that Germany's blanket decision to revoke the admission program breaches constitutional principles. Despite this, the German government maintains it has the right to alter its decisions based on changing political interests. Meanwhile, organizations like Kabul-Luftbrücke continue to provide humanitarian aid, rescuing over 4,000 Afghans since 2021.
For Javad Niazi and his family, the uncertainty persists, with their future still hanging in the balance.
Written by urgent.news from DW News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
