NATO has for the second time requested that the German government deploy a unit of 250 battle soldiers to Afghanistan as part of a rapid-response force. The Germans are to replace a 350-strong Norwegian combat unit stationed in the northern provinces of Afghanistan; the Scandinavians are leaving in July.

The unit would have to enter bloody combat if needed, German military experts have said over the past days. It could be involved in hunting terrorists, providing emergency support to other troops in the north, and even deal with kidnappings.

The request increases the pressure on Berlin to move from purely reconstruction to more aggressive military participation of the international stability mission in Afghanistan. So far, German troops have taken on reconstruction and stability jobs in the northern provinces but stayed out of the fighting that has handed heavy casualties to other nations.

The German government said it intends to make a decision whether to send these troops in early February, but senior German government and military figures have in the past days indicated that the force is nearly certain to be deployed.

German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung on Tuesday and Wednesday paid a surprise visit to Afghanistan, where he met with President Hamid Karzai and his Afghan counterpart, Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak.

In a statement released from Karzai's office, Jung was quoted as saying that German troops were ready to "participate in operations against terrorists and cooperate with other international forces in any other part of the country."

While the government parties unconditionally support sending the rapid-reaction unit, the German opposition agrees but said the move must not pave the way for further engagements in the volatile southern provinces. The opposition Left Party, a far-left group, opposes the Afghanistan mission in general and thus also its latest extension.

Government officials have in the past said sending the troops may not even require a parliamentary green light, as such a move is covered by the current mandate.

The German Parliament renewed the country's Afghanistan contribution last October.

Germany has more than 3,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led, U.N.-mandated International Security Assistance Force. Roughly 500 soldiers run and maintain six Panavia Tornado jets that fly reconnaissance missions all over the country, and some 100 soldiers take part in the U.S.-led anti-terror mission Operation Enduring Freedom, but they are hardly ever called into action.

NATO allies have in the past repeatedly called on Germany to join the fighting in the volatile southern provinces. Its latest request came just a few days after leading military experts from five NATO member states -- the United States, Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands -- unveiled a manifesto aiming to reform the trans-Atlantic alliance.

The manifesto states that, among other changes, the organization should abolish the current system of national caveats. Those restrictions have in the past irritated commanders on the ground, because some countries, including Germany, with caveats have managed to stay away from the heaviest fighting. The new measure would oblige these countries to commit to enemy engagements or forego any sovereignty in the running of NATO missions. The manifesto is to be discussed at the NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania, in April.

Meanwhile, ordinary Afghans are not battling the Taliban or military restrictions, but the cold. One of the harshest winters in decades has brought repeated snowfall and temperatures as low as minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit. At least 300 people have already died. International aid organizations have already called on the West to increase its monetary help for Afghanistan to counter the effects of the harsh winter. And while it may still be reluctant to send battle troops, Berlin on Wednesday announced it would quickly dispatch $1.5 million in aid to help some 2.5 million Afghans battling the cold.

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