The German Interior Ministry on Friday confirmed it sent 81 Afghan nationals back to their home country on board a flight from Leipzig airport.

It was the first such flight conducted by the new German government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The government has said it aims to deport more people to Afghanistan after having held talks with the Taliban government, which Berlin does not officially recognize.

Germany has been criticized for its plans to deport people to Afghanistan in spite of the human rights violations being recorded there. The talks between Berlin and the Taliban have also been seen as controversial.

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What do we know about the flight?

The German Interior Ministry confirmed the repatriation flights in a statement.

"This morning, Germany is deporting 81 Afghan nationals to their country of origin as part of a collective repatriation effort. These are Afghan men who are legally required to leave the country and who have a criminal record in the past.

"The Federal Government is thus implementing an important agreement in the coalition agreement. This stipulates that deportations to Afghanistan will also be carried out, starting with criminals and those who pose a threat."

The statement said Germany was relying on Qatar for logistical support for the operation.

The website Flightradar24 said the Qatar Airways jet took off at 8.35 a.m. local time (0635 GMT/UTC), having been scheduled to depart at 7 a.m. 

How has Germany approached repatriations?

More than 10 months ago, Germany resumed deporting Afghan nationals for the first time since the Taliban seized power in 2021. Then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz had pledged to ramp up removals of rejected asylum-seekers.

His successor, Friedrich Merz, made tougher migration policy a key pillar of his February election campaign.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said an entry and residence ban would also be imposed on the deportees.

"This is how we begin to implement another part of the policy change from the coalition agreement."

"Deportations to Afghanistan must continue to be carried out safely in the future. There is no right of residence for serious criminals in our country."

The Afghans received up to €1,000 (about $1,160) in cash from the federal states to cover their initial expenses upon their return. This sum was said to ensure legal certainty for the operation because Germany's Federal Administrative Court says a deportation can be blocked if a returnee is threatened with immediate destitution.

Edited by: Alex Berry