125 Afghans deported from Germany in effort to deter new arrivals

Berlin (dpa) - A charter flight carrying 125 Afghan nationals whose asylum requests were rejected by Germany landed in Kabul Wednesday in a move intended to deter Afghans hoping to resettle in Germany.The flight, which carried rejected applicants who were "willing" to return home, took place in coordination with the Afghan government, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.The move is part of an effort by the German government to deter Afghans from attempting to resettle in Germany. Some 154,000 Afghan nationals arrived in the country in 2015.Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has justified the move by saying there are "safe zones" in Afghanistan where a normal life is possible. During a recent visit to Kabul, he lobbied the Afghan government to cooperate in the return of its citizens from Germany.The Foreign Ministry last year launched a television campaign in Afghanistan to dissuade people hoping to resettle in Europe.The government of Chancellor Angela Merkel is mounting a concerted push to reduce refugee numbers, which reached 1.1 million in 2015. It recently unveiled plans to add Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia to its list of safe countries whose citizens are not eligible for asylum.