GOVERNMENT ministers from six European countries have called on the EU leadership to continue returning migrants to Afghanistan — even as the religious extremist Taliban group’s forces retake large swathes of the war-torn country.

A leaked letter posted online today revealed that the interior ministers of Austria, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece and Germany urged the European Commission last week not to accept a decision by the Afghan Ministry of Refugees & Repatriation to halt forced returns to the country for three months.

The ministers in the August 5 letter say they “fully recognise the sensitive situation in Afghanistan in light of the foreseen withdrawal of international troops” — but that they do not “foresee any cause to stop or suspend returns.”