BAGHDAD - Britain's Gordon Brown arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday on his first visit as prime minister to discuss when Iraqi forces can take responsibility for security in the southern province of Basra, a British official said.
Brown's trip comes before he makes a key statement on Iraq to parliament next week. British media has reported he may announce plans to trim the British force based in southern Basra province to 3,000 early next year from around 5,000.
His visit coincides with a marked drop in both civilian and U.S. military deaths in September, despite pledges by al Qaeda in Iraq to escalate attacks during the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan, which started over a fortnight ago.
The 884 civilians killed in September was the lowest toll since Washington began pouring an extra 30,000 troops into Iraq as part of a security crackdown aimed at al Qaeda and other Sunni Arab militants and Shi'ite militias across the country.
As speculation grows in Britain that Brown is considering an early election, any signal British troops will be returning soon could be a further boost for a prime minister who is already enjoying a strong lead in the opinion polls.
"He's going to want to discuss the developing security situation in Basra and the prospect for Iraqis taking full responsibility, and the timescale for that," a British official told reporters travelling with Brown.
"This is part of the process of preparing and finalising the statement to parliament early next week."
About 500 British soldiers withdrew from a palace in the city of Basra to a vast airbase on its outskirts in early September. That pullout ended the British military presence in the city, where troops had been stationed since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
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