London  - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown travelled to Northern Ireland Monday for talks with army commanders and political leaders after the shock murder of two British soldiers in the province.

Brown was due to visit the Massereene military base north of Belfast where gunmen killed two soldiers on Saturday in a drive-by-shooting.

A further two soldiers and two pizza delivery men were seriously injured in the attack, the first of its kind since 1997.

The Real IRA, a Republican splinter group, has said it carried out the attack. (dpa)