Germany sending 120 more troops to Afghanistan

By Sabine Siebold

KUNDUS, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Germany will send 120 more soldiers to northern Afghanistan to reinforce its base in the Kundus province, Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said on Friday.

Guttenberg announced the modest increase during a surprise visit to Afghanistan, where Germany has the third largest contingent in the NATO-led mission with 4,200 troops.

"I've made the decision to reinforce Kundus with an additional infantry company from mid-January," the new defence minister said at the dust-covered field post in Kundus, where he visited a wounded soldier and ate at the mess hall.

The United States, with 67,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, has long urged Germany and other countries to send more troops. There are about 42,000 from other allied nations.

Defence Ministry spokesman Steffen Moritz told reporters in Berlin the extra infantry company would contain 120 troops.

The German parliament has limited participation in the NATO mission to a maximum of 4,500 soldiers. Opinion polls show most Germans oppose military involvement, which has cost the lives of 36 of their countrymen.

The government has resisted pressure from the United States in past years to divert its troops to more violent areas.

Guttenberg, popular because he is first German defence minister to acknowledge the troops are in a war, is also a rarity because he is a reserve officer.