London  - US President Barack Obama may announce a substantial increase in US troops to Afghanistan as early as next week, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported early on Thursday.

Obama had already informed British Prime Minister Gordon Brown about the imminent increase, the broadcaster reported, while adding that the US government had not confirmed the report.

The Afghan ambassador to Washington, Said Jawad said in an interview to the BBC: "All indications are that President Obama is honouring the request by General McCrystal," commander of the international forces in Afghanistan, who had asked for the increase.

Asked whether the surge could involve between 40,00 and 45,000 extra troops to the troubled country, the ambassador said "This is part of the request, yes."

He also said that the British government had "communicated to us their decision to send more troops."

He made his comments despite a statement from the US government that Obama had not yet made a decision about further troop deployments.

On Wednesday, the British premier announced that Britain would send 500 additional troops to Afghanistan, bringing the level of forces up to 9,500.

However, in an address to the British parliament, Brown said that the forces would only be sent if "certain conditions" were met, including an Afghan government promise to provide more of its own troops for training, and the provision of more troops from fellow NATO countries.

The British troops - according to Brown, "part of a coalitionwide deployment with each ally bearing its fair share" - are to be sent to Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, where NATO troops are locked in ongoing clashes with the Taliban. (dpa)