PM makes Afghanistan army pledge in surprise visit
Thursday, 21 Aug 2008 18:07
Gordon Brown visits British troops in Afghanistan in surprise visit
Gordon Brown has pledged to help train Afghanistan's army following a surprise visit to the country.
The prime minister made the pledge following talks with Afghan president Hamid Karzai in Kabul.
Mr Brown, who stopped in Afghanistan en route to Beijing for the Olympic closing ceremony, earlier spent 90 minutes talking to British soldiers in Helmand province in his second visit to the country as PM.
He told troops at Camp Bastion, the main British base in Helmand, that they were "the heroes of our country".
"You know that you are on the front line in the fight against the Taliban," Mr Brown told troops from the 16 Air Assault Brigade.
"You know that by what you are doing here you prevent terrorism coming to the streets of Britain.
"You make our country proud every day of the week and every week of the year," he continued.
"You are truly the heroes of our country."
Mr Brown spent a total of 90 minutes at Camp Bastion. He later visited a field hospital where he spoke to six injured soldiers.