BERLIN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The German government has agreed to extend foreign deployment of German troops in six international missions on Wednesday.
The decision, which needs to be approved by Germany's parliament, affects military operations in Mali, Afghanistan, and against the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria with a combined current contingent of around 2,600 soldiers.
Under the plans announced on Wednesday, the number of German troops in Afghanistan would rise once again from 980 to 1,300.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government had mulled a complete retreat from Afghanistan in 2013, but was instead forced to increase its presence there due to a deteriorating security situation, according to German media reports.
Questioned about the apparent difficulty which Germany was experiencing in extricating itself from Afghanistan, defense minister Ursula von der Leyen told the public broadcaster ARD on Wednesday Germany would have to prepare for a protracted fight.
"Without any doubt we will need patience and persistence," van der Leyen said.
Germany is also set to provide more troops to the ongoing United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in the West African state of Mali.
While the number of German soldiers participating in the international coalition against ISIS would fall, Germany has decided to expand the mission's geographical scope in Iraq beyond the Kurdish-controlled Northern parts of the country.
Confronted with criticism that ongoing military engagement with ISIS was not permissible under the German constitution because it was not a mission under the framework of the European Union, UN or NATO, van der Leyen insisted that the "mandate was firmly-based on international law".
The German military is currently involved in a total of 14 international missions with 3,600 troops.
