Gordon Brown has asked Afghanistan for a “substantial” increase in its troop numbers to help Britain to hold the ground it is winning against the Taleban in Helmand province, he told MPs this afternoon.

The Prime Minister also said that British troop numbers, now standing at 9,100, would be reviewed after the August presidential elections in consultation with the allies and commanders on the ground.

The recent increase from 8,100 to 9,100 was always seen to be temporary, with the figure dropping to 8,300 after the elections. But Mr Brown declined several opportunities to confirm that the number would be dropping to 8,300 at that time, leaving open the possibility that they could all stay or that the figure could even be increased.

Mr Brown said that he had spoken to President Karzai on Sunday and urged him to make more Afghan army personnel available for operations in Helmand, “so that our hard-won gains can be fully consolidated”.

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Later he said there should be a “substantial” increase, although British officials said it would be for the Afghan government to announce the figure.

Mr Brown twice insisted that he had been reassured over the last few days by commanders on the ground and at the top of the armed forces that they had enough manpower.

David Cameron said that that did not rule the possibility that they had asked Mr Brown for more men for other operations, and specifically asked him to say whether they had asked for another 2,000 men.

Mr Brown said: “We keep our force levels under constant review. And I have been reassured by commanders on the ground and at the top of the armed services that we have the manpower we need for the current operations.”

British troops would continue to face a “tough and dangerous battle and we will continue to give their safety the highest priority”.

Funding for operations had risen to over £3 billion this year and Chancellor Alistair Darling had made clear “all urgent operational requirements will be met”.

Helicopter numbers had increased by 60 per cent in the last two years and the Government planned to go further this year with the deployment of new Ridgeback vehicles and Merlin helicopters.

“Despite the tragic losses of the last two weeks, our commanders assure me that we are having a major impact on the Taliban in central Helmand and that morale is high.”

The Prime Minister said that all the G8 members had agreed on the importance of the work being done in Afghanistan. “I talked directly with President Obama about the challenges we face together.”

Mr Brown, who quoted a spokesman for the British forces in Helmand saying they had sufficient equipment, said they were “making progress” in Helmand. Commanders had made it clear that they were “moving ahead with some speed in clearing the ground”.

He added: “Behind them will come Afghan forces — the numbers of which I want to see raised very substantially in the next few weeks.”

On helicopters, Mr Brown said that by the end of 2009, the Merlin helicopters would be in theatre in Afghanistan. Some £6 billion had been set aside for future investment, particularly in the new Lynx helicopters over the next 10 years. “While of course we would want more helicopters, at the same time there has been a 60% increase and there will be more on the ground at the end of the year.”

To move helicopters from Iraq to Afghanistan was “very difficult” due to weather and terrain conditions.

On troop numbers, he said: “In our discussions with the military of course one talks about all the options that are available - but we decided that we would increase the number of troops. That was after discussions with our military and President Obama from 8,100 to... today there are about 9,150 people on the ground in Afghanistan.”

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