A major increase in the UK commitment to help French and African forces in Mali and the region has been confirmed by the PM. No. 10 said 200 UK troops would train an African regional force outside Mali, with up to 40 more on an EU training mission inside Mali. Britain has also offered a roll-on, roll-off ferry to help move French forces to Mali by sea.Britain is also offering air-to-air refuelling capacity to operate outside the UK.Sources say the US will provide air-to-air refuelling. British sources stressed again that Britain would have no combat role in Mali.
Furthermore there will be an additional 70 RAF personnel who will oversee the use of a Sentinel surveillance aircraft in the region with an extra 20 RAF crew and engineers commanding a C-17 transport plane for a further three months to aid the French effort.The offer of 200 troops to train members of the AFISMA regional force is being made by the UK national security adviser at a meeting in the captial on Tuesday. No estimate was given for the length of the commitment. Quoted from the PM’s spokesman , who said “We will do what we can to help the French mission and to contribute to a regionalised approach.”