Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany in northern Afghanistan on an unannounced visit, amid heavy security.
Mrs Merkel arrived early on Saturday in Kunduz, where Germany has a base. She was accompanied by Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and military Chief of Staff Volker Wieker.
Her government will next month seek a renewed parliamentary mandate for its 4800-strong Afghan mission.
However, the BBC reports public support for the deployment is falling.
The visit is Mrs Merkel's third to Afghanistan since 2007. Speaking to troops at the Kunduz base, she praised their bravery and said their mission was vital.
"The reason why I'm here is to say 'thank you.' We know what you are doing is an extremely dangerous undertaking," she said.
On Thursday, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle announced in parliament that Germany would start to pull out some of its troops from Afghanistan in the first half of 2011, ending its mission by 2014.
Afghanistan's coalition partners agreed at a NATO summit in Lisbon last month that Afghan security forces would take over security in the country by the end of that year.
