Berlin, July 9, SPA -- Germany wants to increase the number of its soldiers in Afghanistan by around a third, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Saturday. The Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, would be asked to approve a government request to extend the soldiers' mandate beyond Oct. 13 and make as many as 3,000 soldiers available, up from the current 2,200, the spokesman said. "An upper limit of 3,000 is planned to enable the force to react more effectively to security developments and to increase flexibility when rotating troops," he was quoted as saying by Reuters. --SPA 1452 Local Time 1152 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/275636