Kunduz, Germany  - German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived Monday on a surprise visit to Afghanistan, her second to the country, to visit German soldiers.

Merkel, accompanied by Defence Minister Franz-Josef Jung, landed at a military base in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, where 700 German troops are stationed.

A number of attacks occurred near the base shortly before Merkel's visit. Shots were fired at German soldiers overnight as they were guarding a bridge construction project 7 kilometres from the camp. None was hurt.

Also at the weekend, a roadside bomb hit a German patrol in Kunduz. No one was injured, but an armoured vehicle was damaged.

The visit, Merkel's first to Afghanistan since 2007, was kept secret until her arrival for security reasons.

It came days after a NATO summit in Germany and France at which the alliance agreed on a new strategy for Afghanistan, deciding to concentrate more on reconstruction rather than its fight against the Taliban.

Germany plans to raise the number of its soldiers deployed in Afghanistan from 3,800 to 4,400 in the coming months leading up to presidential elections in August. dpa