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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Mali: 'No UK army boots' on the ground - Cameron | Mali: 'No UK army boots' on the ground - Cameron |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The prime minister has restated that British troops will not go onto the ground in Mali, despite the UK offering logistical support to France. | The prime minister has restated that British troops will not go onto the ground in Mali, despite the UK offering logistical support to France. |
| The first of two RAF C17 cargo planes sent to help French military efforts against Islamist rebels is delayed in Paris due to technical issues. | |
| David Cameron said: "What is being done in Mali is in our interests and should support France's actions." | David Cameron said: "What is being done in Mali is in our interests and should support France's actions." |
| France has attacked the militants since Friday, to support Mali's government. | France has attacked the militants since Friday, to support Mali's government. |
| Its armed forces have been helping government forces in the West African country recapture the central town of Konna. | |
| France has called a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in Mali on Monday. | France has called a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in Mali on Monday. |
| Commons statement | Commons statement |
| The first of the two C17s left RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Sunday and was loaded with French armoured vehicles and other equipment at the Evreux airbase in Normandy overnight. | |
| It was due to fly to Mali's capital, Bamako, on Monday morning, but has been delayed due to a "minor technical fault", a Ministry of Defence spokesman said. | |
| The problem is thought to be a short-term one and the plane is expected to be ready to depart later. | |
| A second C17 is due to leave the UK on Monday morning. | |
| A government statement on Mali is expected in the Commons at 15.30 GMT. | A government statement on Mali is expected in the Commons at 15.30 GMT. |
| Meanwhile, the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has said that France's involvement in the campaign in Mali will last "a matter of weeks". | Meanwhile, the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has said that France's involvement in the campaign in Mali will last "a matter of weeks". |
| He said if France not intervened, there was a risk that the Islamists could have advanced as far as the capital, Bamako, with "appalling consequences". | He said if France not intervened, there was a risk that the Islamists could have advanced as far as the capital, Bamako, with "appalling consequences". |
| On Sunday, French warplanes bombed the town of Gao in eastern Mali, extending their raids deep into rebel territory. | On Sunday, French warplanes bombed the town of Gao in eastern Mali, extending their raids deep into rebel territory. |
| The French intervention had succeeded in stopping their advance towards the south, he added. | The French intervention had succeeded in stopping their advance towards the south, he added. |
| UN force | |
| Islamist groups and secular Tuareg rebels took advantage of chaos following a military coup to seize northern Mali in April 2012. | |
| But the Islamists soon took control of the region's major towns, sidelining the Tuaregs. | |
| One Islamist group, Ansar Dine, began pushing further south last week, seizing the strategically important town of Konna. | |
| The town has since been recaptured by Malian troops with French aerial support. | |
| France's decision to intervene in its former colony took many by surprise. | |
| A UN-backed international force from countries in Ecowas, the West African regional bloc, had not been expected until the autumn. |