A senior Foreign Office minister who is leaving office was forced into an embarassing public climbdown over his statement earlier today that UK forces in Afghanistan are short of helicopters.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Lord Malloch Brown, whose role as Foreign Office minister includes responsibility for Afghanistan, said "We definitely don't have enough helicopters."

He added that the government failed to warn the public about the effects of the current offensive.

But this morning he issued a clarification of the comments he made in the Telegraph, saying that helicopter capability has already increased by 84 per cent over the past two years.

Lord Malloch Brown said in his new statement: "On the issue of helicopters in Afghanistan, I was making the point - as the prime minister and commanders on the ground have also done - that while there are without doubt sufficient resources in place for current operations, we should always do what we can to make more available on the frontline.

"I know from my role as FCO minister for Afghanistan that this is a high priority for the prime minister and that there is a huge procurement effort ongoing in the Ministry of Defence to deliver just this."

His comments come during mounting political pressure over resources in Afghanistan. Eighteen servicemen have died this month, leading to claims that a shortage of helicopters is endangering troops.

Chancellor Alistair Darling refuted these claims, and said that the Treasury has never refused requests for more equipment or troops.

The current Helmand offensive is aimed at ensuring security before Afghanistan's elections, scheduled for next month. Most of the British army's casualties have been caused by roadside bombs.

The Conservative party - and other critics - argue that troops are more vulnerable to these explosives because they are forced to travel over ground and not by air.

Sir Jack Stirrup, the chief of the defence staff, said last week that deploying more helicopters would prevent casualties.

Gordon Brown has insisted that there are enough troops there to do the job and that the armed forces are better equipped than ever, and the levels of troops will be reviewed after elections.

Read our cheat sheet for a summary of the story, the figures, and what the commentators are saying.