The Netherlands is one of six EU countries to sign a letter to the European Commission which urges Brussels not to change the current agreement on deporting Afghan nationals who don’t qualify for asylum.

The agreement between the EU and Afghanistan commits Kabul to accepting back its nationals, even though EU countries such as the Netherlands are now withdrawing their own nationals because of the Taliban’s resurgence.

The letter, which has been circulated on Twitter by a Belgian journalist, highlights the ‘urgent need to perform returns, both voluntary and involuntary’.

And it goes on to say that ‘stopping returns sends the wrong signal and is likely to motivate even more Afghan citizens to leave their homes for the EU’.

The letter, drawn up in reaction to an Afghan government appeal for a three month moratorium on deportations, was signed by junior justice minister Ankie Broekers-Knol on behalf of the Dutch government. It has also been signed by Denmark, Austria, Germany, Belgium and Greece.

Letter from 🇧🇪🇩🇪🇦🇹🇳🇱🇬🇷🇩🇰 to 🇪🇺 Commission concerning migration from 🇦🇫 as Taliban hostilities intensify & the three month stop on forced returns to the country.

‘Stopping returns sends the wrong signal and is likely to motivate even more 🇦🇫 citizens to leave their home.’ pic.twitter.com/Q79Fhvna9w

— Kmlvrmln (@kmlvrmln) August 9, 2021

The Dutch immigration service told Trouw no Afghans have been deported from the Netherlands in the past six months and that there is ‘nothing new’ in the letter.

However, since the Nato peacekeeping forces pulled out of Afghanistan, the Taliban have been on the offensive and according to the UN, at least 1,000 civilians died in last month alone.

‘While the Dutch government is urging its own people to leave Afghanistan immediately because of the threat to life, the junior minister is looking for ways to sent back Afghan asylum seekers,’ Labour MP Kati Piri said. ‘The current situation in Afghanistan in no way allows this, but this political reality has not yet sunk in with the caretaker cabinet.’

Intepreters

In addition, Piri and MPs from three of the four coalition parties on Tuesday urged defence minister Ank Bijleveld and foreign minister Sigrid Kaag to explain what is being done to bring back dozens of interpreters and others who worked for the Dutch armed forces up to the pull-out.

Bijleveld had promised to come up with an evacuation plan but, the MPs say, the situation on the ground is becoming increasingly urgent. Dozens of people who worked for the Dutch are still in Afghanistan because of problems with their paperwork.

Execution

Police interpreter Sharif told Nieuwsuur that he fully expects to be executed. Sharif, not his real name, lives in Kabul with is wife and two children and worked with Dutch police trainers in Afghanistan for several years.

‘Other countries had a visa programme for local staff in 2014 but the Dutch government took no action,’ he said. ‘That was disappointing. But now the situation is getting worse and worse, we are living in constant fear.’

Anne-Marie Snels, former head of armed forces union AFMP, who has been campaigning to have the interpreters brought to the Netherlands, told the Volkskrant that the government’s failings are ‘scandalous’.