British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visits troops in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan

British prime minister in southern Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is visiting troops in the volatile part of southern Afghanistan where thousands more coalition forces are to be deployed.

More than 9,000 British troops are stationed in southern Afghanistan, mostly in Helmand province. Brown met with President Hamid Karzai and members of his administration Sunday at an air field in neighboring Kandahar where the British prime minister spent Saturday night. It was the first time that Brown has stayed overnight in either Afghanistan or Iraq.

Training Afghan security forces and the recently announced buildup of international forces topped his talks with the Karzai government.