British troops in Mali to train, not fight, assures Defence Secretary Philip Hammond
AN EXTRA 200 British troops set to be deployed in Mali will not lead to the UK being sucked into a long term African conflict, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has told Parliament.
By Owen Bennett
PUBLISHED: 15:05, Tue, Jan 29, 2013
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said British troops will not be sucked into Malian conflict
Speaking in the House of Commons today, Mr Hammond said the extra troops would train West African and Malian forces, and there would be no "mission creep".
The Defence Secretary was warned by senior politicians any UK involvement in Mali could lead to a rise in religious extremism against Western powers.
But Mr Hammond said: "The UK has a clear interest in the stability of Mali and ensuring its territory does not become an ungoverned space available for al-Qaeda and its associates to organise attacks on the West.
"It is not our intention to deploy combat troops. We are very clear about the risks of mission creep. We have defined very carefully the support that we are willing to provide to the French and the Malian authorities."
Mr Hammond appeared before MPs after an emergency question was tabled by Tory MP John Baron, who warned of the "real danger" that UK troops could be drawn into a much wider deployment.
Former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who currently chairs the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee, warned there was "every probability" of years of "asymmetrical conflict" in Mali unless a political solution was found.
Veteran Tory backbencher Sir Peter Tapsell voiced his concerns, and said: "The more frequently Western forces intervene in Muslim countries, the greater will be the spread of jihadism throughout the whole Islamic world and the higher the threat of terrorism in this country."
The more frequently Western forces intervene in Muslim countries, the greater will be the spread of jihadism throughout the whole Islamic world and the higher the threat of terrorism in this country.
Veteran Tory backbencher Sir Peter Tapsell
As well as a military presence on the ground, the deployment of a C-17 transport aircraft will be extended for three months, supported by around 20 personnel.
A Sentinel R1 surveillance plane, with a contingent of 70 support crew, has already been deployed to Dakar in Senegal.
Labour's Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy expressed concern at the way the mission had expanded so rapidly.
He said: "The UK commitment to Mali has grown from lending the French two transport aircraft to the deployment of perhaps hundreds of troops to the region.
"UK trainers may be non-combat but that does not mean they are without risk.
"And alongside the importance of winning hearts and minds in Mali, there is another country where public consent must be maintained - that is here, in the UK.
"The public are wary and weary of conflict as a consequence of recent history.
"There will be worries about mission creep and the safety of UK trainers. It is essential you allay those fears today."
Mr Hammond responded by saying he recognised public concerns but pushed Labour to support the choices made by the Government.
He said: "We are acutely conscious of the primacy of the operation in Afghanistan and the limits what we have been able to offer the French are defined largely by the need not to degrade our capabilities in Afghanistan."
He added the rules of engagement would be based on self-defence.