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| Brown visiting Afghanistan troops | Brown visiting Afghanistan troops |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Chancellor Gordon Brown has arrived in Afghanistan on a surprise visit to see British troops. | Chancellor Gordon Brown has arrived in Afghanistan on a surprise visit to see British troops. |
| Mr Brown arrived in Kandahar, on what is his first visit to the country, with Defence Secretary Des Browne. | Mr Brown arrived in Kandahar, on what is his first visit to the country, with Defence Secretary Des Browne. |
| He will meet UK military commanders, local political leaders and some of the 6,300 UK troops in the country. | He will meet UK military commanders, local political leaders and some of the 6,300 UK troops in the country. |
| During his visit, Mr Brown condemned Iran's treatment of detained Leading Seaman Faye Turney as "cruel, callous, inhuman and unacceptable". | During his visit, Mr Brown condemned Iran's treatment of detained Leading Seaman Faye Turney as "cruel, callous, inhuman and unacceptable". |
| He said a UN resolution calling "definitively for their release" was "the unanimous view of the international community". | He said a UN resolution calling "definitively for their release" was "the unanimous view of the international community". |
| Earlier Mr Brown told reporters travelling with him to Afghanistan: "One of the things I will be saying to the forces I meet is you become ever more aware of the risks and dangers they are having to undergo and the courage and the bravery of the troops themselves." | Earlier Mr Brown told reporters travelling with him to Afghanistan: "One of the things I will be saying to the forces I meet is you become ever more aware of the risks and dangers they are having to undergo and the courage and the bravery of the troops themselves." |
| Mr Brown announced an extra £400m for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq in his Budget last week. | Mr Brown announced an extra £400m for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq in his Budget last week. |
| Troop boost | |
| The government announced in February that it would boost UK troop numbers in Afghanistan this year, with a total of 7,700 being stationed there by summer. | |
| They will continue to operate in Kandahar, the neighbouring province of Helmand, as well as working in Uruzgan, Zabul, Nimruz and Day Kondi. | |
| Mr Brown is expected to announce a further £15m in aid to Afghanistan to be spent on so-called "quick impact projects", such as developing village wells and water supplies. | |
| The chancellor said that while security was clearly the first priority, economic reconstruction would be equally important to ensure any kind of long-term peace in Afghanistan. | |
| BBC News 24's chief political correspondent James Landale said the chancellor's visit to the Camp Bastion military base is clearly the latest stage of his preparations to succeed Tony Blair as prime minister. | |
| It comes four months after he made his first trip to visit British troops in Iraq. |