Washington, Sep 23 (DPA) The top US commander in Afghanistan is expected to soon request as many as 40,000 additional soldiers, FOX News reported.

General Stanley McChrystal could submit the request to Defence Secretary Robert Gates as soon as Wednesday, FOX News reported Tuesday, citing a senior defence official.

'The resource component of General McChrystal's assessment will be transmitted very soon,' the official said.

McChrystal has completed a strategic review of the situation in Afghanistan, and a classified copy of it was obtained by the Washington Post. The newspaper reported earlier this week that McChrystal warned that without more troops within the next 12 months the mission would 'likely result in failure'.

'Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term (next 12 months) - while Afghan security capacity matures - risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible,' the assessment said.