Washington  - The top US and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) military commander for Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has formally asked the Pentagon for additional troops, US broadcaster FOX News reported Sunday.

McChrystal personally submitted his long-awaited request to US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mike Mullen and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James Stavridis following closed talks at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday, according to the report.

Media reports in recent days have said McChrystal plans to add an additional 40,000 troops to the 65,000-strong US contingent in Afghanistan.

The security situation in Afghanistan, including the once stable north of the country, has deteriorated in recent weeks.

August was the deadliest month in the country this year, according to a new United Nations report. The UN mission recorded 1,500 civilian casualties between January and August.

McChrystal has noted the danger posed by the success of the Taliban's information initiative in undermining the credibility of the Afghan government. The US and its allies must "wrest the information initiative" from the Taliban and other insurgent groups, he was quoted as saying in a report by the Washington Post.

US President Barack Obama has said he wants to analyse the situation in Afghanistan before coming to a decision on additional troop deployment. dpa