A new admission program has been launched in Germany to accept Afghan refugees deemed most at risk after the Taliban takeover of the country, according to the interior and foreign ministries.

Berlin has pledged to take in around 38,000 Afghans, particularly at risk under the rule of the Taliban and some 26,000 people had already arrived in Germany.

The new program will admit 1,000 Afghans per month and their family members. It targets particularly exposed Afghans who are active in women's and human rights advocacy or those at risk for working in the fields of justice, politics, media, education, culture, sport or science.

Afghans who have experienced violence or persecution because of their gender, sexual orientation, or religion can also benefit from the program.

"Based on defined admission criteria, we can offer protection to particularly endangered and vulnerable people from Afghanistan," Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement.

Germany will cooperate with civil society organizations to select and reach the targeted groups. It was not immediately clear how long the program will be in place.

Berlin has not recognized the Taliban as a legitimate government since they took over Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S.-backed foreign forces withdrew after two decades of war.