Norway has temporarily suspended deportations of failed asylum seekers to Afghanistan, according to the country's two immigration authorities, UDI and UNE. The country follows similar decisions taken recently by Sweden and Finland.
The Norwegian Police Service said that it will no longer carry out scheduled deportations to the conflict-ridden country until at least September 15. The decision follows the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan after the departure of most international troops from the country.
Only unsuccessful asylum seekers will be affected as well as those with withdrawn or rejected Norwegian residence permits -- such as people who have committed crimes.
Read more: Sweden follows Finland, suspends deportations to Afghanistan
Growing Taliban threat
The Taliban have been continuing to gain ground in various parts of the country since international troops left the country after 20 years.
The Islamist group has launched several offensives against the Afghan government in Kabul since the withdrawal of international troops, and have made major territorial gains, resulting in control over half of Afghanistan's provinces at the moment.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR said that in particular, the provinces of Badakhshan, Kunduz, Balkh, Baghlan and Takhar had been affected by major internal displacement issues as a result of the Taliban spread.
Read more: NGOs demand Europe stop deportations to Afghanistan
Germany meanwhile has said that it currently has no plans to stop deporting its rejected asylum seekers to Afghanistan. However, the German Foreign Office has announced that there will be a new report this month on the security situation in Afghanistan, which might still influence future policy.