British forces join French in fight against Mali insurgents

BRITISH helicopters have deployed to Mali in north-west Africa to support a French counter-terrorism operation despite warnings of being dragged into a open-ended conflict.

Three RAF Chinook helicopters from RAF Odiham in Hampshire, supported by 90 military personnel, will provide logistical and troop movement support. But experts fear the move could mark the start of an indefinite commitment to a new military campaign.

The Daily Telegraph understands the British forces have deployed to Gao, in the north of the country. The town has seen French troops targeted by insurgents in recent months and the helicopters will be used to move soldiers by air, rather than ground, where they are more vulnerable to attack.

A wave of attacks in recent months has seen the militants reestablish their grip over large swaths of the country and is ominous ahead of the presidential election, due to take place on July 29, in which Ibrahim Boubacar Keita seeks a second term.

Ewan Lawson, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said UK support for the French operation, announced in January, may have had an element of gesture politics.

“They may have thought the commitment of a few helicopters meant ‘we’ve done our thing’, without realising it was potentially putting our fingers in the mangle,” he said.