Mr Brown made the trip to Camp Bastion in Helmand province to thank some of the 4,000 British soldiers who are involved in a 3-week-old NATO offensive to wrest control of the Taliban haven of Marjah from the insurgents.

His visit came as Britain's military announced that two of its soldiers died in Helmand. One soldier from the 3 Rifles unit was fatally wounded from an explosion on a foot patrol Friday, and the other was hit by small arms fire on Saturday while on an operation against insurgents.

British officials will be announcing a US$151 million investment in new British-built vehicles to replace Snatch Land Rovers, blamed by troops for many of the deaths caused by roadside bombs. The new vehicles, which should arrive in Afghanistan by late 2011, have better armor and more maneuverability. Another US$27 million will be spent on metal detectors and training for Afghan forces to help them combat the roadside bombs. Britain is also sending 150 new police and army instruction to help train Afghan police.

Mr Brown toured a police training center in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, where he saw 150 recruits who will be graduating this coming week. He also visited enemy bases seized by international and Afghan troops during their massive offensive involving a total of 15,000 allied and Afghan forces. Four British soldiers were among the 15 NATO troops killed during the campaign in Marjah.