Brown gets a boost from Sarkozy: French president to send extra 1,000 troops to Afghanistan

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Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to make the pledge during his state visit to Britain next week.

Britain and the US has been begging Nato allies to bolster their forces in the war-torn country after facing stiff resistance from the Taleban and their allies.

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Sarkozy is reportedly to give Brown a boost by sending more troops to Afghanistan

Some countries are threatening to pull out, and Mr Brown will hope that any French surge would bolster support from other countries.

France has 1,900 soldiers in Afghanistan - compared to almost 8,000 British troops.

The Times newspaper said ministers were expecting President Sarkozy to announce a deployment of "slightly more than" 1,000 troops to eastern parts of Afghanistan.

In a visit to the country in December, Mr Sarkozy hinted at a rise in troop numbers.

He said: "There is a war going on here, a war against terrorism, against fanaticism, that we cannot and will not lose."

Last night the Ministry of Defence would not comment, and the French embassy said no decision had been taken.

A formal announcement may be delayed until the Nato summit in Bucharest at the start of April.

Nato troops in Afghanistan have been overstretched as Britain and the US beg for more troops