German troops stationed in Afghanistan will begin accompanying local police and military troops on patrols and other military operations, said Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, the German defense minister, according to Reuters. The country is expected to deploy additional troops to Afghanistan in July. Meanwhile, German President Horst Koehler paid the troops a surprise visit on May 21 in a bid to boost their morale as they fight a war that is widely unpopular in their homeland, according to Reuters.