German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle paid a flying visit to his troops in northern Afghanistan on Monday, his first to the province since taking office in 2009, DPA reported.
His trip follows visits late last year by Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.
During his three-hour trip to the province from Kabul, the foreign minister and vice chancellor praised German soldiers for "risking their lives in defence of our freedom and security."
Westerwelle was also planning to meet with the new governor of Kunduz province Muhammad Anwar Jegdalek, whose predecessor was assassinated in October. He was also to lay a wreath in honour of fallen German soldiers.
On Sunday, he met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and called for more efforts by the authorities against corruption and drug trafficking, as well as greater protection of religious minorities.
The German parliament is to decide on the new mandate for German troops on January 28, which would set the end of 2011 as the deadline for them to start withdrawing from Afghanistan, if circumstances allow.
In the meantime, the mandate would also allow for an increase in the number of deployed German troops to 5350 from 4415. Most German troops are stationed in Kunduz.
The previously relatively peaceful northern province has grown more violent as the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and Afghan security forces have driven insurgents from other regions.
NATO and Afghan forces clashed with the Taliban late Sunday in the province's Dasht-e-Archi district, leaving 15 militants including a senior commander dead, the provincial police chief said.
Westerwelle, who is also the leader of the ruling coalition partner Free Democratic Party, on Sunday said he was optimistic the mandate would be approved by the Bundestag.
NATO is scheduled to start handing over responsibility for security to Afghan forces this year, in a process due to be completed in 2014.
But Westerwelle said that Germany would "not abandon Afghanistan even in the years after 2014," in order to prevent the reemergence of "terrorist structures" in future.
The German foreign minister arrived from Pakistan where he had called for close cooperation on terrorism, and said Islamabad had an "extremely key role" to play in the security of the whole region.
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