Europe to send 400 special forces to Mali The mission, expected to launch early next year, will be made up of as many as 3,300 troops, most of them from Mali but with reinforcements from Niger, Burkina Faso and other African nations. Ansar Dine, an Islamist militia with ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, seized territory the size of France in Mali's north after a military coup in March that ousted the government in the capital, Bamako. Since then, the group has implemented strict Islamic law and has desecrated ancient sites in Timbuktu, claiming that they were "idolatrous" and against Islam. International security agencies fear that northern Mali could become a safe haven for foreign fighters allied to al-Qaeda who are seeking territory from which to launch attacks against Western interests. At the opening of the talks, Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria's president, said that the mission's aim would be to defeat the Islamists to a "avert costly consequences." Military strategists from France, Spain, Germany, Italy and Poland will meet on Thursday to discuss their expected support for the intervention. Britain has said that "no option is off the table" but has stopped short of committing resources so far. The blueprint agreed in Abuja will be sent to the United Nations for discussion ahead of a Security Council resolution expected before the end of November.