Former Taliban fighters stand behind their weapons, prior to handing them over as they join a government peace and reconciliation process at a ceremony in Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province on January 19, 2014 | Noorullah Shirzada/AFP via Getty Images Germany may grant asylum to former Taliban fighters over torture fears: report Former fighters may be granted protection because they fear persecution if returned to Aghanistan.

An increasing number of Afghans seeking asylum in Germany are claiming to having been members of the Taliban, potentially to increase their chances of asylum, Die Welt reported Thursday.

According to Die Welt, asylum seekers may be identifying themselves as former Taliban fighters because an open investigation into their backgrounds automatically prevents them from being deported. Ex-Taliban members claim they may be subject to torture or the death penalty in Afghanistan, and human rights law bars Germany from being an accomplice to torture.

"Membership of the Taliban as such cannot lead to a positive decision on the asylum application," a spokesman from BAMF, the German office for migration and refugees, told Die Welt. "However, in the event of imminent human rights violations due to a previous membership, a grant of protection may be considered in individual cases."

BAMF said that it had already referred thousands of asylum cases, a significant number of which were self-identified ex-militants, to security authorities.

Almost 13,000 Afghan asylum seekers face deportation from Germany.

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