US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld paid a surprise Christmas visit early Friday to US troops in Iraq's northern town Mosul, where a suicide bomber killed 14 US soldiers and eight others in a US military base on Tuesday.

Rumsfeld's visit was aimed at lifting the morale of US troops during the Christmas holidays.

Immediately after landing in darkness, Rumsfeld went to the 67th Combat Surgical Hospital where the injured US soldiers are being treated.

He will take breakfast with troops in Mosul and be briefed by commanders on the area's deteriorating security situation.

Rumsfeld said his trip to Mosul had been planned for a while but was kept secret for security reasons.

He also said Tuesday's attacks had not been a factor in selecting Mosul to visit.

The blast at Forward Operating Base Marez was the deadliest single attack on a US base in Iraq. It went off as hundreds of US soldiers sat down to lunch.

More than 1,300 Americans have been killed since the war on Iraq started in March 2003. The United States is increasing the number of troops in Iraq to a wartime high of 150,000 in January to boost security for the Jan. 30 elections.

Source: Xinhua