Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan, Muharram 07, 1432, Dec 13, 2010, SPA -- German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said Monday that the fighting situation in Afghanistan was "longer and harder" than in previous winters. However, progress could be seen over the past months, he said during an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, according to a report of the German Press Agency "DPA." Guttenberg stressed it was important to get a clear picture of the realities on the ground, especially against a background of the debate over extending Germany's mandate in Afghanistan. Guttenberg arrived Monday at a German camp in the northern province of Kunduz accompanied by his wife and the premiers of the German states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. --SPA 11:20 LOCAL TIME 08:20 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/844945