British PM visits troops in southern Afghanistan

[March 06, 2010]  KABUL (AP) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is visiting his nation's troops in Afghanistan and promising them 200 new patrol vehicles that can resist roadside bombs more effectively.

Brown made an unannounced trip Saturday to Camp Bastion in Helmand province to thank the troops involved in a 3-week-old offensive to wrest control of the town of Marjah from the Taliban. The Press Association news agency says he focused on the battle against homemade bombs and the need to bolster training of the Afghan police force.

Brown says Britain will announce a multimillion-dollar investment in new British-built vehicles to replace others blamed for roadside bomb deaths.

Brown told the troops he will do everything he can to provide the equipment and resources they need to fight the war.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

KABUL (AP) - A member of the Afghan parliament says she escaped injury when her convoy was attacked by Taliban insurgents in eastern Afghanistan.

Fauzia Khofi, who represents the far northern province of Badakhshan, says insurgents fired on her seven-vehicle convoy early Saturday as it was traveling from Nangarhar province to Kabul.

She says insurgents used AK-47s, heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades to attack the convoy, which kept moving.

The lawmaker had requested extra protection for her trip from the Interior Ministry, and five police vehicles joined two of her vehicles. She says a policeman suffered a leg injury and another was slightly wounded in the attack.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.