Treasury officials are expected to take a critical look at plans to send additional British troops to Afghanistan as it becomes clear that reserves will have to be raided to cover the extra cost.

As The Times reported yesterday, General Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the Army, is ready to send up to 2,000 troops to fight the Taleban, and has been preparing a number of options for ministers.

“There is a judgment between 8,000 \ and 12,000 as to what is a reasonable number to be in Afghanistan.” he told The Times.

General Dannatt warned, however, that there was a “financial dimension” to consider — an implied reference to the views of the Treasury. “There’s a judgment to be had somewhere in between the two,” he said.

“We recognise that unless something major externally changes, we will be in Afghanistan for a number of years. We’ve got to establish ourselves for high-intensity jogging that we can maintain for the full length of the campaign.”

Reacting to the interview with General Dannatt, David Cameron, the opposition leader, said that sending more troops to Afghanistan would be worthwhile only if they were able to deal with problems that included the heroin trade and corruption.

“More troops could be part of the answer but they should only be sent with the right equipment, with the right number of helicopters and the right civilian back-up and support so we deal with the other problems in Afghanistan like corruption and drugs. It is no good just pouring in the troops if you do not deal with the other problems,” he said.

Liam Fox, the Shadow Defence Secretary, also urged caution. “First, there must be a clear and achievable political mission to support the military mission, as was the case with the surge in Iraq. This strategy must not be limited only to Afghanistan, but must encompass Pakistan,” he said.

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