German SPD open to send more troops to Afghanistan

BERLIN, July 29 (Reuters) Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) are open to sending more soldiers to Afghanistan to help stabilise the country in its battle against a resurgent Taliban, the party's leader said today.

Kurt Beck's comments are the strongest signal yet that the SPD could back plans by conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel to prolong Germany's military mission in Afghanistan despite fierce opposition from within his own party.

Parliament is due to vote on the Afghanistan mandate, which some of Merkel's party members want to expand as well, in the autumn.

The deaths of more than 20 Germans soldiers there since 2001 coupled with recent kidnappings have made the mission more unpopular in Germany and some opinion polls show a majority of Germans want to bring their troops home.

But Beck told Sunday's Bild am Sonntag newspaper that the SPD, which shares power with Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), basically supported Germany's continued engagement.

''It is our goal to stabilise civil society, the government and the security forces -- both the police and the military --, to train them intensively so that they are in a position to look after security for themselves in the medium term,'' Beck said.

''Therefore we will also discuss the question of whether we should send more soldiers and police.'' Germany's NATO peacekeeping mandate permits the deployment of up to 3,500 troops as part of the alliance's 40,000 International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Germany also has two other, more controversial, mandates.

One is for reconnaissance airplanes to fly over Afghanistan and the other, which the SPD feels most strongly about, gives Germany the right to send up to 100 special forces to take part in anti-terrorist operations under Operation Enduring Freedom.

Even Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the SPD's most popular politician, has said it might be time to rethink Germany's mandate.

Merkel's conservatives, however, want to extend all three missions.

Afghanistan has dominated the headlines here since the Taliban seized two Germans earlier this month. Militants are still holding one, along with four of his Afghan colleagues. The other was found dead with gunshot wounds last weekend.

Reuters SM DB1827