RAF choppers sent to Africa to help the French fight ISIS
BRITISH forces are being sent to Mali amid fears Islamic State fighters on the run could regroup in North Africa.
Three RAF Chinook helicopters will transport the 3,000 French troops battling Islamic extremists.
Prime Minister Theresa May will announce the decision today at a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Sandhurst military academy in Berkshire. About 50 British airmen and ground crew will also be sent to Africa. The PM’s spokesman said the IS move into Mali was creating “ungoverned spaces from which you can plot terrorist attacks on Europe”. Britain’s deployment follows the use of RAF Tornados and Typhoons to help drive IS out of their former strongholds in Syria and Iraq. No British ground troops will be sent to North Africa.