The German development minister arrived in the Afghan capital Kabul Thursday for talks regarding development aid for the war-torn country.

Minister Dirk Niebel is to meet with the Afghan Finance Minister and is expected to urge the Afghan government to undertake reform to impede corruption and strengthen regional governance.

Corruption endangers aid

In the past, Niebel has called for closer cooperation between Germany's military operations and development projects in Afghanistan.

In an interview with the mass daily Bild before the trip, the minister said that without sufficient protection, aid projects on the ground were subjected to blackmail, abductions and corruption.

Niebel's suggestion to restrict German funds to areas where the country had troops stationed was received critically by some non-profit groups.

Germany is the third-largest monetary donor to Afghanistan. Berlin has invested 1.1 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in the country since 2002.

smh/epd/ AP
Editor: Rob Turner