Obama 'still undecided on troops'

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BBC's Newsnight claimed a decision had already been made over additional numbers, with the president opting to send up to 45,000 extra servicemen and women to bolster the US presence in the region.

But at a daily press briefing in Washington, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the story was "not true", adding that no decision had yet been made.

Mr Obama was locked in talks with members of his national security team over the future strategy for Afghanistan.

It comes as he continues to deliberate over a report by General Stanley McChrystal, the US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, which calls for a major troop surge to turn around fortunes in the flagging war.

The report has not been made public, but a number of leaks have disclosed that the commander has outlined three options, ranging from an additional 10,000 to 15,000 troops to a swell of 80,000 fighters.

General McChrystal himself is thought to be lobbying heavily for a surge of 40,000 soldiers.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Obama said he would decide in "the coming weeks" over the strategy and troop numbers needed in Afghanistan. But according to a report on Newsnight, the US administration had already told the British government that it would announce a major increase in personnel.

That announcement could be made as early as next week before a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Bratislava, it was suggested.

Speaking to journalists in Washington, Mr Gibbs said: "It's not true. I mean, I can be generalistic or I can be specific. I've seen the report. It's not true either generally or specifically."