Mr Cameron said he supported government plans to hand over certain districts in Helmand province to Afghan forces but said the strategy should be 'based on success' rather than 'artificial timelines'.
The Tory leader also said US president Barack Obama's announcement of a 30,000-strong surge for US forces in Afghanistan was the 'last big chance of success' for the coalition's operations.
Mr Cameron's comments follow the prime minister's confirmation that an extra 500 British troops would be posted to Afghanistan in January, with a 'clear timetable' scheduled for a handover of power to Afghan forces.
Gordon Brown's Conservative counterpart, however, commented: 'I don't want us to raise false hopes. I think it's pretty unlikely that you are going to see a reduction in British troop numbers next year.'
He told the BBC: 'But it should be based on success. The key here is, as soon as you can hand over lead responsibility to the Afghans in a district you should do, once it's safe.
'And once you're doing that you can bring down troop numbers in the future, but do it based on success, don't keep talking about artificial timelines.'
The Tory leader also said US president Barack Obama's announcement of a 30,000-strong surge for US forces in Afghanistan was the 'last big chance of success' for the coalition's operations.
Mr Cameron's comments follow the prime minister's confirmation that an extra 500 British troops would be posted to Afghanistan in January, with a 'clear timetable' scheduled for a handover of power to Afghan forces.
Gordon Brown's Conservative counterpart, however, commented: 'I don't want us to raise false hopes. I think it's pretty unlikely that you are going to see a reduction in British troop numbers next year.'
He told the BBC: 'But it should be based on success. The key here is, as soon as you can hand over lead responsibility to the Afghans in a district you should do, once it's safe.
'And once you're doing that you can bring down troop numbers in the future, but do it based on success, don't keep talking about artificial timelines.'
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