Brown Visits.

In Baghdad on a surprise visit, British PM Gordon Brown on Oct. 2 announced that 750 more UK soldiers would be home from Iraq by end-2007, fuelling speculation he may soon call a national election. On his first visit to Iraq as premier, Brown said Iraq could take responsibility for security in Basra province within two months, completing the transfer of power in all four southern provinces for which Britain was once responsible.

Britain has trimmed its Iraq force from 5,500 since it pulled 500 soldiers from a palace in the city of Basra to a vast airbase on its outskirts in early September. The total now stands at 5,250 and is due to fall to 5,000 soon. Brown told reporters: "I believe...by the end of the year British troops can be reduced to 4,500. That releases 1,000 of our troops and hopefully they will be home by Christmas".

Basra has enormous strategic importance as the hub for Iraq's vital oil exports and a centre of imports and exports. Forty-one British soldiers have been killed this year, the most since 2003, although daily mortar attacks on Basra palace have largely stopped. Brown said: "I believe that within the next two months we can move to provincial Iraqi control, that is Iraqis taking responsibility for their own security [in Basra]".

Brown met officials from the three main sects in Iraq: Shi'ite PM Maliki, Sunni VP Tareq al-Hashemi and Kurdish Deputy PM Saleh. Brown said: "I have made it clear that we are looking for further effort to be made by all parties in Iraq to come together".

Basra has been the centre of a turf war among Shi'ite groups. That fighting was mainly between JaM, the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC) whose armed Badr wing controls police in much of the south, and the smaller al-Fadhila al-Islamiya party.

Gen. Petraeus, who met briefly with Brown during his one-day swing through Iraq, gave his qualified assent to the British withdrawal. He said: "There are innumerable challenges in the security situation in Basra. But there are really Iraqi solutions that are emerging to some of these".

Top US officials are concerned that the reduced British presence in southern Iraq could open security gaps along key supply and transit routes to Kuwait. The roadways are a vital lifeline for US forces. But Maliki said: "We are prepared to take over security in Basra within two months, and we will".

Brown said any further decision on British troop withdrawals would be made next year. British military leaders hope their troops will remain in charge only of training Iraqi troops and border guards, securing key supply lines and responding to emergencies when called on by Iraqi commanders. Brown disclosed the troop withdrawal before flying to Basra for meetings with British troops and their commanders.