Brown tells troops to finish job in Iraq

GORDON Brown last night called on British troops in Basra to bring the UK's work in Iraq to a conclusion on an unannounced visit to the south.

In a speech to soldiers in blistering heat, the Prime Minister held out the prospect of an end to British involvement in the country five and a half years after the invasion.

His comments came at the end of a lightning visit during which he assessed the prospects for the drawdown of troops with military and Iraqi leaders.

Brown refused to set an "artificial timetable" for troop withdrawals after talks in Baghdad with Iraqi prime minister Nouri Maliki and president Jalal Talabani.

He insisted dramatic progress had been made since his last visit in December, with violent incidents in the Basra area down from six a day to one every six days.

Speaking at Basra Air Station, Brown told the troops: "You are now working with the Iraqi forces to train them up so that they can take over their responsibilities, so that we can complete our work here to bring Basra to democracy, security and prosperity."

He went on to praise the professionalism, dedication and courage of the 4,000-strong British force in Iraq. and said they would make a huge difference.

As Brown arrived in Iraq, US presidential hopeful Barack Obama was beginning a visit to Afghanistan at the start of a trip to the Middle East and Europe. The tour is aimed at helping him bolster his foreign policy and national security credentials in the race for the White House.

The Illinois senator arrived in Kabul as part of an official congressional delegation to meet top military leaders and troops at Bagram Air Base, the main US military base.

Underscoring the challenges in Afghanistan, authorities yesterday reported a Nato soldier and four policemen killed by separate roadside bombs in areas where Taliban-led insurgency is intensifying.