New Mali mission will last more than a year

British troops could be in Mali for more than a year in a further military commitment to the conflict.
Up to 40 military personnel will take part in a European Union mission to train Malian government soldiers that will last for up to 15 months, a spokesman for the prime minister said.

A further 200 British troops have been assigned to a separate training mission to support the Malian government organised by west African states, which will take place outside Mali. The disclosure came as MPs called for a vote on what they fear could be a lengthy deployment of British troops to fight al-Qaeda in north Africa. Up to 330 are to be deployed to the region under existing plans.

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 help move vehicles into the region. David Cameron has ruled out a combat role for British troops in an effort to allay fears over Britain's involvement in supporting the war against rebels and terrorists in Mali.

France's defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was quoted as saying he believed the offensive in Mali had reached a "turning point". "The jihadists suffered heavy losses," Le Drian said. "The French intervention has succeeded," he added, saying rebel fighters were "returning home, or trying to cross the borders, which will be more and more difficult... or they are making a tactical retreat".