Nearly 30,000 Afghan protection seekers are waiting for their asylum applications to be processed in Germany, including many young men. Of the total 29,336 pending cases of Afghan asylum seekers at the end of January, two-thirds (19,749) involved male applicants, according to the Federal Interior Ministry, the Funke Media Group reported.

Of those, 12,165 were Afghans between the ages of 18 and 40, or 41.5 percent of all pending cases. This is according to a response from the Federal Ministry of the Interior to a parliamentary question from the Left Party parliamentary group.

The recognition rate of Afghan refugees is high after the takeover of the radical Islamic Taliban: According to the asylum procedure statistics of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf), it was almost 99 percent in January. It was in line with the Bamf's decision-making practice to "prioritize the pending procedures according to certain case groups," the Federal Ministry of the Interior explained. Accordingly, the applications of families as well as the applications of "vulnerable" persons are currently decided with priority.

However, the Left Party fears that the high recognition rate will only be achieved by shelving young men's cases at present.Left-wing MP Clara Bünger also wanted to know from the federal government whether sheconsidered it reasonable for single, healthy young men to return toAfghanistan.

The Bamf examines in each individual case whether protection status should be granted, the Foreign Office replied. "This may result in single, healthy, young men not being granted protection status." At the same time, the German government assured that Germany would "continue its commitment to the people of Afghanistan, and in particular to the protection and reception of those" who "are at risk because of previous cooperation with the Federal Republic."

Bünger criticized the approach: "The fact that young Afghan men are being denied protection against deportation in Germany is scandalous in view of the situation in Afghanistan, which is catastrophic in every respect," the MP told the newspapers. It is "simply irresponsible" to want to deport anyone to Afghanistan, she added. Leaving young Afghans in a holding pattern through provisions would also be "fatal in terms of integration policy" and an enormous burden for those affected.

Image by Gerd Altmann