US Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Friday on an unannounced trip to meet coalition forces' commanders there.

This is Gates' second trip to Iraq since he became the defense secretary on Dec. 18 last year to replace Donald Rumsfeld who resigned in November. Gates had visited Iraq on Dec. 20.

His visit also came after US President George W. Bush on Jan.10 announced his new Iraq plan, including a troop surge of more than 21,000 in Iraq in a bid to change the course in the war-torn country.

(Xinhua News Agency January 20, 2007)