Afghanistan May See More German Troops

Germany could boost the number of soldiers serving in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan to 3,000, according to reports by Reuters and the German weekly Der Spiegel. German troops, who are stationed in the capital of Kabul and the northern province of Kunduz, could be deployed further afield across the whole of region patrolled by ISAF. A Defense Ministry spokesman told Reuters the Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, would be asked to approve a government request to extend the soldiers' mandate beyond Oct. 13 and make as many as 3,000 soldiers available. Spiegel quoted an internal document from the German Ministry of Defense saying Germany would not contribute more than 3,000 troops. Germany is already the biggest single contributor to ISAF.