Termez, Uzbekistan  - German Chancellor Angela Merkel left Afghanistan Tuesday, after bad weather forced her to cut short a surprise visit to German troops in the region.

The chancellor, who had to cancel a planned excursion to the German military base in Feyzabad due to bad flying conditions, departed Tuesday morning from the Termez military base in neighbouring Uzbekistan.

Merkel's two-day visit came shortly after NATO set a new strategy for Afghanistan, placing a greater emphasis on reconstruction, alongside its military fight against the Taliban.

During her trip, the chancellor said Germany would be forced to maintain a strong military presence in northern Afghanistan for some time to come, since the Afghans were not in a position to maintain their own security in the north.

Germany plans to increase the number of its soldiers deployed in Afghanistan by 600 to 4,400 in the months leading up to presidential elections in August. (dpa)