Berlin - German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung began a three-day trip on Monday to Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, where he is to visit German military troops.

Germany has come under pressure to provide more troops and logistics to the NATO-led effort in Afghanistan, but at the weekend US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton stressed it was up to Berlin to decide on any reinforcements.

Upon arrival in Uzbekistan, Jung is due to meet with his Uzbek counterpart Kaboul Berdiev, before travelling Tuesday to Afghanistan to visit the German military bases in Mazar-e-Sharif and Feyzabad.

During his trip, Jung plans to visit a training programme for the Afghan police force, as well as witnessing reconstruction work in the Kundus region.

The trip comes days after Clinton said it was Germany's decision whether to send troops to the restive southern region of Afghanistan.

"That's going to be up to Germany to decide," Clinton told German ZDF television on Friday. "I wouldn't presume to suggest what the German government will decide."

The US secretary of state praised Germany's involvement in the region. "I think Germany has made some very useful contributions on the civilian side as well as the military side," Clinton said.

Germany has 3,800 troops engaged in training and reconstruction programmes in the north of the country, as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF).

The German government has further pledged to send an additional 600 troops to Afghanistan ahead of the presidential elections expected in August. (dpa)