Taliban gaining upper hand, says US commander

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General Stanley McChrystal predicted the casualty rate for allied forces will remain high for months after a record number of deaths last month.

He said the Taliban had expanded from its traditional strongholds in southern Afghanistan to threaten formerly stable areas in the north and west.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Gen McChrystal indicated he would need 10,000 additional troops when he delivers a major review of the war effort at the White House this month.

He said: "It's a very aggressive enemy right now. We've got to stop their momentum, stop their initiative. It's hard work." He said the insurgents are now mounting sophisticated attacks which combine roadside bombs with ambushes by small teams of heavily armed men.

The new tactics have pushed the death toll for British troops to 196 and 694 for US forces since 2001. Troops are now in the second stage of Operation Panther's Claw, trying to hold territory taken from the Islamists.

President Barack Obama has already announced he intends to increase US troop levels in the country to 68,000 by the end of the year.

Gen McChrystal is planning a change in focus to protect Afghan civilians from rising levels of Taliban violence and intimidation. Troops will be redeployed to safeguard civilians rather than hunting down militants. American military officials believe the Taliban have taken advantage of the offensive in northern Helmand province to infiltrate the southern city of Kandahar and set up shadow local governments and courts throughout the city.

The general said he planned to shift more US troops to Kandahar to bolster the Canadian forces that have primary security responsibility for the region.

"It's important and so we're going to do whatever we got to do to ensure that Kandahar is secure. With the arrival of the new US forces we'll have the ability to put some more combat power in the area," he said.

Gen McChrystal also said the Afghan army and police force would double in size under the plans being finalised by senior US military officers.