Germany says it has carried out its first deportation of convicted Afghan offenders since the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan three years ago, a week after three people were fatally stabbed at a street festival in the western town of Solingen.

The killings shocked Germany and sparked an intense debate over asylum rules when it emerged the main suspect was a 26-year-old Syrian refugee facing deportation. An Afghan man was detained after another deadly attack in May.

The government in Berlin has already announced a series of measures ahead of elections on Sunday in eastern Germany, where the far-right Alternative for Germany is riding high in the polls.