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  1. #31
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default British troops to join force countering Mali militants

    A mix of updates and with our current political focus unlikely to attract much attention:

    1.
    Three RAF Chinook helicopters and around 100 personnel have been operating with French forces in the north of the country since 2018, in a non-combat role. The Chinooks have provided valuable heavy-lift to the mission, a capability the French don't have.That commitment was recently extended by a further six months to June 2020, viewed as a gesture of Anglo-French goodwill post-Brexit.
    Link:https://news.sky.com/story/uk-to-sen...ssion-11767832

    Actually this was reported on the 8th July 2019 by a US website:https://thedefensepost.com/2019/07/08/uk-raf-sahel-barkhane-deployment-extended/ and the UK's:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/08/theresa-may-says-britain-will-remain-top-tier-military-nation/

    Comment - nothing at all to do with Canada withdrawing its Chinooks.

    2.
    The UK is to send 250 troops to Mali in the biggest peacekeeping deployment since Bosnia and potentially the most dangerous mission for British forces since Afghanistan. The soldiers will form a long-range reconnaissance task group, specifically chosen for their ability to operate in small teams and in violent, contested areas of the country. They will be asked reach parts of Mali that most militaries cannot, to feed on-the-ground intelligence back to the mission headquarters in Gao. They will arrive in the country early next year.
    Link:https://news.sky.com/story/uk-to-sen...ssion-11767832

    Comment - sounds remarkably like a UK SF mission and why such a delay? Maybe additional desert training is needed and learning French!

    Added a week later. A longer commentary by Oxford Research Group, with several comments by serving, if anonymous UK soldiers who have served in Africa.
    Link:https://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org....f-3db118e6dfcc
    Last edited by davidbfpo; 02-29-2020 at 09:45 PM. Reason: Add last link. 197,734v today
    davidbfpo

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