Britain sending about 250 troops to Mali

The British Government will be sending troops to Mali in order to combat the menace of the Islamist terrorists, according to a BBC report.

At least, 250 British soldiers will join a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali later this year.

In addition to that, the BBC added that the British will be conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols into hostile territory.

The British troops have already been part of missions in Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, Morocco, etc.

Maj. John House has been leading the British element of the training in Senegal with the focus on infantry skills and counter-terrorism operations said:

"If we don't act we may find the problems getting closer to our door," he said. "The more they have a presence in the region, the more we can feel the effect back in the UK."

Lt Unyine Collins, of the Nigerian Special Boat Service, likened the terrorists to ISIS.

"They use suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, mines, basically they use the same tactics as ISIS," he said.

Nearly 200 UN peacekeepers have already lost their lives in Mali. France, which has more than 5,000 troops in the country, has also suffered casualties there.

BBC