:breaking new on the BBC.
Brown hints at Afghan troop rise
We've heard nothing from him for many weeks, he was on vacation.
So he goes and flies to Afghanistan for a nice surprise...
BBC news 6pm Saturday 29th August:
(>>>>all propaganda, obviously. There's one little mention of the US of A, the UK think they're taking the toll, our headlines on the front page two days ago said that ten British servicemen died in order that 150 Afghans could vote)
"Gordon Brown said new equipment was being shipped to Afghanistan and has given a strong indication that more British troops will be sent to Afghanistan, during a surprise visit to the country.
Speaking from Helmand province, he said he wanted to speed up the training of Afghan soldiers and police, which needed the support of British troops.
He also pledged greater protection for troops from roadside bombs, which hours earlier claimed another British life.
A Royal Marine became the 208th British soldier killed in Afghanistan.
There are currently 9,000 UK troops in the country, mostly in Helmand.
On his fourth visit to the country this year, the prime minister said that getting another 50,000 Afghan troops trained by November 2010 would enable them to "take more responsibility for their own affairs".
ANALYSIS:
BBC deputy political editor James Landale, in Helmand
"After the army's bloodiest summer so far and weeks of controversy over possible helicopter shortages, the prime minister wanted to show not just his support for British troops, he also wanted to restate his case for war - namely that unchecked terrorism in Afghanistan could reach the streets of Britain.
Quicker training would need more British troops to train the Afghans and it is this which Mr Brown discussed with Gen Stanley McChrystal, the American head of Nato forces.
[Gen McChrystal] is expected soon to tell President Obama that more troops are needed across the board and some of them will almost certainly be British.
War now Brown's top priority
Royal Marine killed in explosion
He said new equipment was being brought in to the field, such as more armoured vehicles.
"[This is] new equipment simply to give better protection to our forces and at the same time to make them more manoeuvrable.
"That - working with a big lift in the Afghan forces - is going to be the next stage of the post-election effort in Afghanistan."
In his two-hour tour of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand, the prime minister had a light lunch of sandwiches and crisps at a military base, during which he discussed the issue of pay with a group of Welsh Guards.
In 40-degree heat, he viewed the reconstruction work being carried out, and met Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, Chief of the Defence Staff, and US commander General Stanley McChrystal.
In promising greater help to counter the threat of improvised devices - which have caused a heavy toll among British forces - Mr Brown said another 200 extra anti-IED (improvised explosive device)specialists would be deployed in the autumn.
There would also be more unmanned surveillance aircraft and better protected vehicles, he said.
WHAT GORDON BROWN PROMISED
200 specialist counter-IED soldiers this autumn, to join 200 sent earlier this year
increase in flights by unmanned surveillance aircraft like Hermes 450, Reaper and Desert Hawk
new Warthog tracked vehicles for next spring, six months early
20 more Ridgback protected vehicles for this autumn
Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said: "IEDs are the single biggest killer of British forces in Afghanistan and this government has been woefully slow to provide our troops with the equipment they need to minimise the risk to them in a very dangerous environment.
"While we welcome this much needed increase in counter-IED capability, the prime minister has left many questions unanswered."
These include, said Mr Fox, what will happen to the extra 900 troops temporarily deployed to provide increased security for the elections, and why so few of the 158 Ridgback protected vehicles ordered two years ago were now on the frontline.
Karzai talks
Former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, Colonel Richard Kemp, said increasing Afghan Army numbers to 135,000 was possible if the US and UK invested sufficient resources.
With Afghan help, UK troops tried to make Helmand safer, pre-election
"It's essential we get them trained to give us some sort of exit strategy," he said, otherwise there was a danger the mission would lose public support and "drift".
While in the country, the prime minister spoke on the phone with President Hamid Karzai and his leading opponent, Abdullah Abdullah.
British troops had been trying to secure parts of Helmand ahead of the presidential election nine days ago.
The latest results showed President Karzai widening his lead and edging closer to the 50% required to avoid a run-off.
BBC correspondent Chris Morris, in Kabul, said that counting of votes has been slow amid "massive" allegations of fraud directed at the government.
Last week the new head of the British army, General Sir David Richards, pledged to focus on the military effort in Afghanistan, as he took over the role.
