Germany’s government was unaware of the Taliban’s appointment of a new embassy head in Berlin, marking the first such instance in the EU.
Taliban Appoints Embassy Chief
According to reports, a Taliban member, Nebrasul H., is currently serving as chargé d’affaires at the Afghan embassy in Berlin.
Nebrasul H. arrived in the German capital in July with the consent of the federal government as one of two consular officials, but the Taliban did not inform the government of their plans to later assign him to lead the embassy.
Previous Chargé d’Affaires Sidelined
ARD reports that the previous chargé d’affaires, Abdul P., now holds only a symbolic role, despite still being listed as such on the websites of the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the German Foreign Office.
He was reportedly stripped of his powers in early January, as authorities in Kabul deemed the diplomat, appointed by the previous non-Taliban government, untrustworthy.
Germany Seeks Deportation Cooperation
Despite not recognizing the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is attempting to establish cooperation with the Islamists to facilitate the deportation of Afghan criminals to their homeland.
Following an agreement with the Taliban government in late February, 20 individuals were deported to Afghanistan for the first time.