التغيير في منطقة الساحل.
change in Sahel
British troops could be in Mali for longer than a year
British troops could be in Mali for more than a year, Downing Street has suggested, in a further deepening of the UK’s military commitment to the conflict.i
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Up to 40 military personnel will take part in a European Union mission to train Malian government soldiers, which will last for up to 15 months, a spokesman for the Prime Minister said.i
A further 200 British troops have been earmarked to take part in a separate training mission to support the Malian government organised by West African states, which will take place outside Mali.i
The details of the two training programmes are expected to be agreed early next month, Downing Street said.i
The disclosure came as MPs called for a vote on what they fear could be a long and drawn-out deployment of British troops to fight against al Qaeda in North Africa. Up to 330 UK troops are to be deployed to the region under existing plans.i
One RAF transport plane will carry equipment to Mali from France, which is leading the international military intervention, and a ferry could be sent to move vehicles into the region by sea.i