Struck is to visit the northern cities of Kunduz and Faizabad, where some 400 German troops are stationed as part of the NATO-run International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

The minister warned on Friday that the security situation in Afghanistan remained "unstable" two week ahead of the October 9 presidential elections.

ISAF comprises 7,000 troops from 30 countries and was set up by the United Nations in December 2001 weeks after the US army ousted the Taliban.

Germany provides the largest number of troops within the force, with 1,480 soldiers, and also manages two so-called "provincial reconstruction teams", in Kunduz and Faizabad.

The small units of troops and civilian experts are charged with improving security, fostering reconstruction work and boosting the influence of the central Kabul government in the provinces, many of which are controlled by local warlords.

But the reconstruction teams have been accused of failing to tackle security problems, in particular after they failed to intervene during recent clashes targeting aid workers in Faizabad.

Another 320 German troops are based in Termez in neighbouring Uzbekistan, where their job is to provide logistical back-up to the forces in Afghanistan.

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