The German parliament has voted to extend the military mission in Afghanistan by one year despite polls suggesting its unpopularity at home. Extending the mandate to 31 January 2012, parliament set the maximum troop number at 5,350. Germany currently has 4,860 service personnel deployed in Afghanistan as part of the international peacekeeping force Isaf. The mission extension was passed by a large majority in the Bundestag in Berlin – 420 votes in favour, 116 against and 23 abstentions. Opinion polls suggest the deployment, which has seen the deaths of 45 German soldiers since 2002, is deeply unpopular with the German public.