Brown visits troops

Kabul: Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, where he pledged to speed up the training of Afghan security forces, the BBC and Sky News reported.
"I think we could get another 50,000 Afghan army personnel trained over the next year," Brown told the BBC from Helmand province, where the majority of Britain's approximately 9,000 troops in Afghanistan are based.
"Stepping that up means that the Afghans take more responsibility for their own affairs. They're backed up by partnering and mentoring done by the British forces."
Quicker training could require more British troops, and the BBC reported that Brown discussed this possibility with General Stanley McChrstyal, the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan, during his trip.
Brown also visited British troops at Camp Bastion in Helmand province and thanked them for their efforts in fighting insurgents in the build-up to the presidential elections on Aug. 20.
A total of 207 British military personnel have died in operations in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.