In August 2021, when the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, it was believed that they would remain strictly isolated from the international community. But four years later, their rule in Kabul seems stable, and many European governments, including Germany, feel compelled to normalize relations and even negotiate with them.
In early July, Russia became the first country to officially recognize the rule of the Taliban. "In this way, Russia is taking over the role of the United States in Afghanistan, which four years ago betrayed it of its own free will by withdrawing its forces," says Sardar Rahimi of the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Cultures in Paris.
China also maintains economic and diplomatic relations with the Taliban, although it does not officially recognize it. In January 2024, Xi Jinping accepted the accreditation of the Taliban ambassador to Beijing with all the protocol honors. China needs Afghanistan to develop its Silk Road. It also needs the raw materials of the Muslim state.
Europe deports Afghans
Despite its reticence, Germany also has a channel of communication with Kabul through Qatar. In order to be able to expel refugees, Western governments are obliged to contact the authorities there and even make concessions to them, explains Rahimi. Since 2021, Germany has returned two planes carrying a total of 109 Afghan citizens back to the country. 56 of them are convicted criminals. According to human rights organizations, these decisions violate international law - the European Convention on Human Rights prohibits deportations to countries where there is a risk of inhuman treatment.
The West sees that the Taliban control public life in Afghanistan. "This is also the basis on which other countries' attitude towards the Taliban regime is built," says Rahimi. The Taliban themselves do not reveal details about negotiations with countries like Germany. For them, the fact that the West wants negotiations is a big enough success.
What happens to the millions of people returned?
Afghan refugees are being expelled not only from Europe, but also from Pakistan and Iran, and en masse. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, in 2025 alone, the total number of returnees from both countries to Afghanistan by the beginning of August was over 2.1 million, with half of them forcibly deported.
Pakistan announced that it would not renew the status of refugees from Afghanistan. This means that after September, another 1.3 million people are threatened with expulsion, even though they reside in the country legally.
The returnees have no jobs or housing. But this humanitarian catastrophe benefits the Taliban - they are using the crisis in the country to maximize their control. And deportations from Europe are possible only with their participation.
The Taliban do not provide information about what is happening to the people returned to Afghanistan. Some deportees, after a short stay in prison, head back to Europe.
Women and journalists - without rights
Activists and human rights defenders are adamant that the Islamist Taliban regime systematically suppresses human rights.
Women suffer the most, who are completely excluded from public life. 1.4 million girls over the age of 12 can no longer attend school. Higher education is also prohibited for them. Human rights organizations constantly record gender-based violence against women and girls throughout the country.
Oppositionists and journalists are threatened by radical persecution. According to "Reporters Without Borders", at least 12 media organizations were closed in 2024. "The Taliban threaten and persecute journalists, arrest reporters, isolate journalists from the media space, censor reports and search newsrooms." In the press freedom ranking, Afghanistan ranks 175th out of 180 countries.
Half of the people rely on aid
The humanitarian situation remains catastrophic. According to the EC, 22.9 million people in Afghanistan, representing half the population, rely on humanitarian aid. According to the UN World Food Programme, one in three children is malnourished.
The supply crisis was exacerbated when the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) closed its doors in July. Three million people were left without health care, and 420 clinics were closed.
Since 2021, Germany has paid 551 million euros to support the basic needs of the people of Afghanistan. This money did not end up in the hands of the Taliban, but went directly to the World Bank, the UN and the non-governmental sector. In the meantime, however, the new federal government has ended the program for accepting Afghans who worked for Germany before 2021. Currently, around 2,400 people who were promised that they would be accepted in Germany remain in Pakistan and Iran and are at risk of expulsion because they have never received visas.
Author: Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi