Gordon Brown has arrived in Baghdad to hold talks with Iraqi prime minister Nouri Maliki and military leaders.

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Rice in Iraq for surprise visit ... minister's first since December, comes ahead of a statement next week on Britain's involvement in the country.

In December Mr Brown thanked troops for their work as he announced the official handover of Basra to Iraqi authorities.

Plans to cut UK troop numbers to 2,500 by spring were delayed due to violence in Basra at the end of March.

Numbers had been reduced from 5,000 to 4,000 between October 2007 and April.

At the peak of UK military activity in Iraq, in 2003, there were 26,000 soldiers posted in the country.

(BBC)

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