Germany will send more than 12,000 Afghans back to their home country after they failed to obtain asylum. That is five percent of the approximately 247,000 Afghans currently living in Germany. The government said that the security situation in Afghanistan now allows for them to be sent home, particularly those coming from urban centers, considered the safest areas of the country. "There is no confirmation that the situation has worsened," the Interior Ministry said, but far-left party Die Linke has criticized the plan, saying it puts the lives of refugees at risk.