Aussie PM surprises troops in Afghanistan

TARIN KOWT, Afghanistan, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a surprise visit to Afghanistan just hours after a roadside bomb wounded an Australian soldier, officials say.

Rudd was headed to India when he made the unexpected stop to visit Australian troops in Tarin Kowt, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported Wednesday.

Australian currently has some 1,500 troops in Afghanistan's southern Uruzgan province.

After spending Remembrance Day with the troops, Rudd was to head to New Delhi.

One international security expert says Rudd's visit to India should be focused on building an economic and strategic relationship.

"India has tended to see Australia through a couple of very outdated lenses," says Rory Medcalf of the Lowry Institute.

Medcalf says Australia has long been viewed as an appendage of the United States.

"I think for a long time India has just simply not understood and has not appreciated how much Australia has to offer," he said.