Germany may raise its troop limit in Afghanistan beyond 4,500 to help train the country's police forces and bolster civilian reconstruction, German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said on Friday.

"It can't be ruled out that we'll stay at this limit or that we'll go beyond it. It just has to make sense," Guttenberg told ARD television, adding that the relevant government departments were still assessing exactly how to proceed.
 

"We're not just talking about troops, we're also talking about training (Afghan) police and bolstering civilian aid," the minister added, less than a week before a London conference on the future of Afghanistan begins on Jan. 28.
 

"This isn't a debate about combat troops, it's about whether we need greater protection there," Guttenberg said. "That's all being worked out just now, and this will be the basis for a figure we'll present next week."
 

Polls show a majority of Germans want Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to pull the country's troops out of Afghanistan, but Berlin has been under pressure from the United States and NATO leadership to bolster its presence there.
 

Lawmakers from Merkel's conservatives have said additional police trainers would need corresponding cover in Afghanistan, which could provide grounds to raise troop levels.
 

Some also believe more are needed to shore up Germany's position in parts of the north, like the city of Kunduz.
 

Source: Reuters