British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a visit to Iraq Tuesday and announced that 1,000 soldiers will leave the strife-torn country by the end of this year.

During his first visit to Iraq since he became prime minister, Brown also said Iraqi forces will be in charge of security in Basra province within the following two months.

Brown arrived in Baghdad Tuesday morning and met with his Iraqi counterpart, Nuri al-Maliki and other high-ranked politicians. Britain’s premier paid a visit to the British troops stationed at the military base in Basra and had talks with the US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus.

“We are prepared to take over security of Basra within two months and we will,” al-Maliki said after his discussion with Brown.

In the press conference, al-Maliki urged Britain to continue supporting Iraq and oppose the proposal of the US Senate, that said Iraq should be divided along ethnic lines.

“We call on your support against any division that doesn't serve Iraq and the region,” the Iraqi prime minister said.

Brown’s announcement was criticized by Iraq's former Oil Minister, Ibrahim Bahr al-Oloum, who said it’s “too early to discuss a major British troop withdrawal from Basra.” He said Iraqi security forces are not prepared to take over the attributions of foreign troops in the volatile southern provinces.

The British consul-general in Basra, Richard Jones, adopted the same stance saying local police forces have been “infiltrated by hard-line Shia militias” and British troops should remain in charge of security there for a longer period.

Observers said the British pull-out would unleash “hell on earth” in Basra, where militias will start a fierce battle for power and civilians would be the only ones to suffer from this struggle.

Brown underlined that the Iraqi force comprises 13,000 troops and 15,000 police in the southern regions and most servicemen have been trained by the British. He also said that British troops will be prepared to intervene at any moment and assist Iraqi forces if needed.

Media speculated that Brown would announce the withdrawal of 2,000 of the 5,500 British troops by next spring. After soldiers were constantly attacked by insurgents near Basra, the London government decided to move the contingent to the international airport on the outskirts last month.

Reports said the measure paid off and the number of British casualties has dropped significantly since then. Since the invasion began in 2003, 169 British soldiers have lost their lives, but there have been no reported fatalities since September 8.

Reportedly, British troops were likely to stay in Iraq for another two years and fulfill “international obligations,” but it has become clear that Brown adopted a completely different foreign policy than his predecessor, Tony Blair.