German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor Zu Guttenberg and Speaker of Parliament Norbert Lammert continued Sunday their fact-finding visit with German forces in Afghanistan, DPA reported. The two men, who arrived in the country Saturday on a previously unannounced trip, visited a German field unit and took part in ceremonies paying tribute to German soldiers who had been killed. For security reasons the itinerary of the tour to visit German troops serving with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was being kept under wraps. Guttenberg and Lammert also were briefed in Kunduz about the German forces' new training and protective battalion which is to be up to full operational strength of 650 soldiers in early September. The unit is to jointly plan and carry out operations together with regular Afghan army forces with the aim of improving and speeding up the training of Afghan soldiers. A second such battalion is to follow in the autumn. Guttenberg and Lammert began their tour on Saturday in Mazar-i-Sharif. It is Lammert's first trip to Afghanistan since he became speaker of German parliament five years ago. For Guttenberg, it is his fifth visit since becoming Defence Minister last October.
