A senior minister who is leaving office has admitted that UK forces in Afghanistan are short of helicopters.

The government also failed to warn the public about the effects of the current offensive, Foreign Office Minister Lord Malloch Brown told the Daily Telegraph.

Eighteen servicemen have died this month, leading to claims that a lack of helicopters has put troops at risk.

However, Chancellor Alistair Darling said the Treasury has never refused requests for more equipment or troops.

His was the latest in a string of government statements insisting the Army has the necessary equipment for its role in the campaign, as part of a Nato-led coalition.

However, Lord Malloch Brown – who steps down at the end of the month – told the Telegraph: "We definitely don’t have enough helicopters."

Parting comments

Most of the British army’s casualties during the Helmand offensive – aimed at shoring up security ahead of elections scheduled for next month – have been caused by roadside bombs.

Critics believe troops are more vulnerable to these makeshift explosives because they are being forced to travel over ground and not by air.

Lord Malloch Brown said: "When you have these modern operations and insurgent strikes what you need, above all else, is mobility."

He added: "We didn’t do a good job of warning the British public that we and the Americans were going on the offensive in Helmand."

BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said the peer’s government colleagues were "unlikely to thank him for these parting comments".

Political pressure has been mounting over the suggested helicopter shortage.

The chief of the defence staff, Sir Jock Stirrup, said last week that deploying more of the craft would prevent casualties.

The Lib Dems have also accused ministers of vetoing a request for 2,000 extra troops earlier this year.

Mr Darling denied this.

"The Army has said this is what we want in terms of troops and equipment and we have provided that and financed it," he told the Tribune newspaper on Tuesday.

‘Shopping list’

He spoke out after the Head of the Army, Gen Sir Richard Dannatt, revealed he had drawn up a "shopping list" for ministers of resources he says are required for the Afghan mission.

His earlier call for more "boots on the ground" in Afghanistan had been interpreted as a veiled criticism of ministers.

Lord Malloch Brown’s comments add weight to Conservative arguments that the failure to supply troops with enough helicopters has accentuated casualty levels.

Tensions had been heightened when ex-Labour minister Lord Foulkes said military commanders’ comments about resources "threaten to undermine our effort in Afghanistan and give succour to the enemy".

He suggested to peers that the two should be reminded of the "importance of loyalty particularly when we are engaged in a very difficult war where victory is essential for the future safety of this country".

Gen Dannatt has said some of his comments about extra resources needed in Afghanistan had been misrepresented and he was involved in "an ongoing dialogue" with No 10 over the issue.

Gordon Brown has said troop levels in Afghanistan will be reviewed after the elections while stressing there are enough troops there to do the job.

He has insisted the armed forces are better equipped than ever.</p

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