By NNN-KUNA
London : British Defence Secretary Des Browne is visiting the Iraqi city of Basra, it was officially confirmed here.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed the visit after Iraqi TV stations broadcast live footage of Browne attending a business conference Wednesday.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the British base in Basra, in the south of the country, last November. There are currently about 4,000 British troops in the area.
The Iraqi government took responsibility for Basra province’s security in December.
Last October, the Prime Minister said the intention was to reduce the number of British troops there to 2,500, starting in the spring, subject to military guidance. But British press reports here said Brown had been told it was “highly unlikely” the figure would drop to anything like that.
Last Monday, the House of Commons defence committee said the cost of military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq this year were likely to rise 94 per cent to 3.297 billion pounds. This included a 72 per cent rise in spending on Iraq to 1.648 billion pounds, despite falls in troop numbers.
The British government says the money is needed for force protection.