Confirming the reports on Saturday, a spokesman for the army's logistics department told German newspaper "Welt am Sonntag" that the Bundeswehr was "still looking" for the missing ammunition.

The crate reportedly disappeared after German troops left Berlin for Bamako, Mali's capital, on May 28 aboard a commercial Air France flight that stopped in Paris.

The service weapons and ammunition were registered and placed in the hold, but by the time the flight reached Mali a plastic crate containing 880 pieces of ammunition was missing.

The German military has filed a case with the Berlin police.

Responsibility 'lies with the airline'

According to a spokesman from the German Defense Ministry, the responsibility of the missing crate "lies with the airline."

Germany is currently taking part in the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and also has 200 soldiers in the country as part of a European mission to train Malian troops.

Amid the worsening security situation, however, the UN has called for some 2,049 additional troops and 480 extra police to join the 12,000-strong mission.

ksb/cmk (AFP, dpa)