Britain was put on the spot yesterday when the US general who takes over command of Nato forces in Afghanistan on Monday said that he would like more British troops to be sent to join the campaign against the Taleban.
General Stanley McChrystal, a former commander of US special operations, said that any increase in the British force would be welcome, emphasising that under his leadership the main priority would be to protect the civilian population of Afghanistan.
Gordon Brown recently ruled out sending another battle group of about 2,000 soldiers to Helmand province in the south, rejecting recommendations for reinforcements from the head of the Army and John Hutton, then Defence Secretary.
The Prime Minister approved the dispatching of an extra 700 soldiers to provide protection for the elections on August 20 but said that they would be withdrawn after the election.
Although the MoD proposes to review this decision before the “election support force” returns home, there is no expectation that Mr Brown will allow them to stay for any longer, which means that the size of the British force will revert to 8,300.