An Afghan family based in the Netherlands for the past 13 years will not be deported yet, immigration minister Gerd Leers said on Wednesday.

The father of the Akbari family is suspected of involvement in war crimes between 1978 and 1989 and is not, therefore, entitled to a residency permit.
He, his wife, and five children, the youngest of whom was born in the Netherlands, were ordered to report to a deportation centre last month. However, Leers agreed to look again at their asylum claim following widespread local protests.
Leers has now said he will give a final decision on the family’s fate within two months. The minister told MPs earlier this week he planned to allow ‘local factors’ to play a part in controversial deportations and would also take the opinion of the local mayor into account.
The mayor of Leek in Groningen, where the family lives, has been active in supporting their cause.