About 400 British troops have been deployed to Iraq amid increased security concerns in the run-up tothe Jan. 30 elections in the country, the British Ministry of Defense said Monday.

The troops, from the 1st Battalion Royal Highland Fusiliers, have begun arriving in southern Iraq, a spokesman for the ministry told reporters.

British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said last week that the troops would be based in southern Iraq for a "limited period" ahead of the planned poll.

He also said that "there are no plans whatsoever for British forces to operate outside their current area of operations."

Some British newspaper reported that although the troops were likely to be based in southern Iraq, there could be requests to deploy the force in Baghdad or in Sunni strongholds.

Source: Xinhua