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BERLIN — Under pressure from NATO, Germany announced Tuesday that it will increase the level of troops available for duty in Afghanistan by almost one-third, to 4,500, but will continue to keep the bulk of its forces away from the more violent southern provinces.
Franz Josef Jung, the defense minister, said the government wanted to increase the number of troops by 1,000, after a parliamentary mandate limiting the deployment to 3,500 expires in October. The increase will require the approval of the lower house of Parliament.
