Defence secretary Geoff Hoon has arrived in Basra for a surprise visit to British troops.

The Cabinet minister touched down on Monday amid tight security in the southern Iraqi town - which has been under UK control since the end of the conflict.

Whilst British troops have faced less dramatic levels of insurgent violence than their US counterparts, they have had to deal with a series of skirmishes and stand-offs with Iraqi resistance groups.

Hoon is expected to thank UK forces for their contribution and repeat his view that Iraq must be run by the Iraqis.

The defence secretary recently announced that several hundred additional troops were set to be despatched to the region.

Whilst the security situation in recent days has appeared to stabilise, many expect a marked deterioration in violence in the days leading up to the handover of sovereignty on June 30.

Speaking recently the prime minister admitted that more troops could be sent to Iraq over coming weeks.

But Tony Blair predicted that there would be a significant reduction in troop numbers by 2006.