Germany’s foreign minister has announced a temporary halt to the admissions procedures for Afghan nationals.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) has been tasked with processing applications for admission from people Afghanistan temporarily suspended after indications of possible attempts at abuse. The decision to suspend these procedures at the German embassies in the Pakistani capital Islamabad and the Iranian capital Tehran applies with immediate effect, according to diplomatic circles in Berlin.

According to diplomatic sources in Berlin, following “isolated indications of possible attempts at abuse” in recent weeks, the German Foreign Office and the Interior Ministry investigated the procedures at the Islamabad Embassy. They agreed to introduce an additional security questionnaire within a few days, at which time visa procedures for Afghans would resume.

To date, around 30,000 people from Afghanistan have been admitted to Germany, including former locally-employed staff and people deemed to be at particularly high risk, and their immediate families. In total, the German government has promised more than 44,000 Afghans admission to Germany.