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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Mali conflict: West African troops to arrive 'in days' | Mali conflict: West African troops to arrive 'in days' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Troops from a regional West African force will be in Mali within days to help a French intervention against Islamist rebels, Nigeria says. | |
| The force's commander, Gen Shehu Abdulkadir, confirmed the move to the BBC as West African military commanders met in Mali's capital, Bamako. | |
| France has 750 troops in Mali and is expected to increase that to 2,500. | France has 750 troops in Mali and is expected to increase that to 2,500. |
| It began its intervention last Friday with the aim of halting the Islamists' advance south. | It began its intervention last Friday with the aim of halting the Islamists' advance south. |
| 'Confident' | |
| Nigeria now plans to provide 900 troops for the force, 300 more than previously announced. | |
| The force is expected to be 3,300 strong. | |
| Nigerian Col Mohammed Yerima said: "The president approved the deployment of a battalion, and in the next 24 hours a company of the battalion will be deployed." | |
| Ivory Coast army chief Gen Soumaila Bakayoko said: "We are here today to speak essentially about the engagement alongside our Malian brothers in arms, to liberate the north of Mali." | |
| Benin, Ghana, Niger, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Togo have also pledged troops. | |
| France is continuing its air strikes on Islamist positions. | |
| President Francois Hollande said the strikes overnight had "achieved their goal". | |
| He told RFI radio: "We are confident about the speed with which we will be able to stop the aggressors, the enemy, these terrorists." |