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| Mali: RAF surveillance aircraft Sentinel deployed | Mali: RAF surveillance aircraft Sentinel deployed |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A surveillance aircraft from RAF Waddington has been sent to Mali to support France's military action there, the Ministry of Defence said. | |
| Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the Sentinel R1 aircraft "has proved its worth in Libya and on an ongoing basis for counter-insurgency operations in Afghanistan". | Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the Sentinel R1 aircraft "has proved its worth in Libya and on an ongoing basis for counter-insurgency operations in Afghanistan". |
| Two British C17 transport aircraft have already been sent to the region. | Two British C17 transport aircraft have already been sent to the region. |
| Mr Cameron has previously said Britain will not deploy ground troops in Mali. | Mr Cameron has previously said Britain will not deploy ground troops in Mali. |
| French request | |
| The Sentinel will be deployed on Friday from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire to, initially, Senegal. The RAF has a fleet of five Sentinels, but only one is being sent to west Africa. | |
| Mr Hammond said: "As the prime minister has made clear, the UK supports France's decision to provide military support to the Malian government. | |
| "He also said in the House that we would be looking at further French requests for additional logistical and surveillance support for this operation, over and above the two C-17s. | |
| "Following NSC on Tuesday and discussions with the French, we have now decided to deploy Sentinel. | |
| "We have also agreed to continue to make available a C-17 heavy lift transport aircraft which has already provided important logistical support over recent days." | |
| Training forces | |
| Earlier this week, Mr Cameron spoke of a global "generational struggle" against al Qaida-inspired Islamist terrorism in North Africa. | |
| He also said the UK should "thicken" links with region following this month's hostage crisis in Algeria at a gas facility, in which 69 people are known to have died. | |
| Three Britons are known to have died in the attacks and a further three are believed to be dead, along with a British resident from Colombia. | |
| Mr Cameron also said Britain would provide troops to an EU mission to train the Malian military, who are fighting Islamist militants who have taken over the north of the country. | |
| The mission, due to deploy in February or March, is expected to include about 250 trainers and 250 force protection troops. | |
| The prime minister said the British contribution would number "in the tens, not the hundreds". | |
| The Sentinel spy plane is a modified business jet which uses radar to create accurate real-time images of what is happening on the ground, and was used in Libya during the uprising against Colonel Gaddafi. They continue to be used in Afghanistan. | |
| The RAF's fleet of Sentinels, their airborne stand-off radar (ASTOR) and a through-life support contract will cost the UK taxpayer £1bn over 10 years. | |
| They are due to be retired early to save money - in 2015 - eight years after they came into service. |