Kabul - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived Wednesday in Kabul on a surprise visit during which he is to meet with President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spantar. Steinmeier's trip, his fourth to Afghanistan since taking office at the end of 2007, was kept secret until after his arrival for security reasons.

Chancellor Angela Merkel visited German troops stationed in the north of the country three weeks ago but did not meet with Afghan leaders.

German has about 3,800 troops deployed to Afghanistan, and plans to raise troop levels to 4,400 in the coming months as Afghanistan prepares for presidential elections in August.

Incumbent Karzai, who has been in office since 2001, has faced rising criticism over the past months from his Western backers, who accuse him of not doing enough to stem corruption in the country.(dpa)