The German government approved on Wednesday a one-year extension of the country's military mission in Afghanistan and reaffirmed its intention of launching the troop withdrawal by the end of 2011.
The cabinet asked the parliament to permit German troops to remain in Afghanistan until Jan. 31, 2012 and to maintain the maximum deployment of 5,350 soldiers.
The parliament is due to vote on Jan. 28. The bill is expected to be agreed by lawmakers as the main opposition party Social Democrats has announced its support.
"The government is confident it will be able to reduce the presence of the armed forces from the end of 2011 as part of the transfer of security responsibility (to the Afghan government)," the cabinet said in the draft bill.
It added that "if the situation permits and neither our troops nor the sustainability of the transfer process are endangered," the German government will exploit any opportunity for "a reduction at the earliest time."
Surveys showed that most Germans opposed the Afghan mission and want the troops back to home as early as possible. In April 2010, seven German soldiers were killed in less than two weeks amid several ambushes of Taliban militants, greatly
shocking the German public and boosting calls for an early troop withdrawal.
Germany currently has some 4,600 troops in Afghanistan, mostly stationed in the comparatively peaceful north, making the country the third biggest contributor to the NATO-led International
Security Assistance Force after the United States and Britain.