Senin, 02 Maret 2020

UK military gears up for deployment in Mali - BBC News

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Britain is significantly stepping up its military support in West Africa to help combat the world's fastest growing Islamist-led insurgency.

Over the past month, British troops have been helping train local forces to fight extremism in the Sahel.

The region, a semi-arid stretch of land just south of the Sahara Desert, has been a frontline in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade.

Later this year, 250 British soldiers will join a UN mission in Mali.

It has been described as the most dangerous peacekeeping operation in the world.

In Senegal, a team of around 30 UK soldiers and Royal Marines have been training special forces from a number of West African nations in a US-led counter-terrorism exercise involving more than 1,600 troops.

Maj John House has been leading the British element of the training in Senegal with the focus on infantry skills and counter-terrorism operations.

He said it was in Britain's interests to get more involved in the region.

"If we don't act we may find the problems getting closer to our door," he said. "The more they have a presence in the region, the more we can feel the effect back in the UK."

Officers from US Special Operations Command Africa, which has been responsible for overseeing the exercise, are just as blunt.

US Maj Chris Giaquinto said the extremists "want to create a safe haven in Africa in order to grow and facilitate attacks, possibly in Europe or the United States".

There are now multiple extremist groups operating across the sub-Saharan region known as the Sahel. They include ones linked to the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Commander Djibril Diawara, of the Senegalese Armed Forces, described the situation as "alarming".

Over the past year the extremists have spread south from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The exercise culminated with special forces troops from Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria conducting a raid on a village to take out an unspecified group of extremists.

Some of those involved have already been doing this for real. Lt Unyine Collins, of the Nigerian Special Boat Service, has spent seven months on the frontline fighting Boko Haram.

He described a ruthless enemy using brutal tactics. "They use suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, mines, basically they use the same tactics as ISIS," he said.

It's an indication of the potential threats that 250 British troops will be facing when they enter Mali later this year.

They may be part of a peacekeeping mission, but the British will be conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols into hostile territory.

Nearly 200 UN peacekeepers have already lost their lives in Mali. France, which has more than 5,000 troops in the country, has also suffered casualties there.

So is Britain about to become mired in another long-drawn conflict?

Brig Gus Fair, commander of the Specialised Infantry Group, insisted it would not become another Afghanistan or Iraq for the British Army.

He said that "we are up front in seeing this as a regional problem for a regional solution", adding that it involved partnering nations rather than taking direct sovereign intervention.

Nevertheless, the British Army's peacekeeping mission in Mali will probably be the most dangerous task it has faced since the end of combat operations in Helmand.

The harsh reality is that, so far, Western support - along with international troops and peacekeepers - has been unable to turn the rising tide of extremism in the region.

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2020-03-02 15:15:55Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTY5OTEwN9IBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE2OTkxMDc

UK military gears up for deployment in Mali - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Britain is significantly stepping up its military support in West Africa to help combat the world's fastest growing Islamist-led insurgency.

Over the past month, British troops have been helping train local forces to fight extremism in the Sahel.

The region, a semi-arid stretch of land just south of the Sahara Desert, has been a frontline in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade.

Later this year, 250 British soldiers will join a UN mission in Mali.

It has been described as the most dangerous peacekeeping operation in the world.

In Senegal, a team of around 30 UK soldiers and Royal Marines have been training special forces from a number of West African nations in a US-led counter-terrorism exercise involving more than 1,600 troops.

Maj John House has been leading the British element of the training in Senegal with the focus on infantry skills and counter-terrorism operations.

He said it was in Britain's interests to get more involved in the region.

"If we don't act we may find the problems getting closer to our door," he said. "The more they have a presence in the region, the more we can feel the effect back in the UK."

Officers from US Special Operations Command Africa, which has been responsible for overseeing the exercise, are just as blunt.

US Maj Chris Giaquinto said the extremists "want to create a safe haven in Africa in order to grow and facilitate attacks, possibly in Europe or the United States".

There are now multiple extremist groups operating across the sub-Saharan region known as the Sahel. They include ones linked to the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Commander Djibril Diawara, of the Senegalese Armed Forces, described the situation as "alarming".

Over the past year the extremists have spread south from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The exercise culminated with special forces troops from Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria conducting a raid on a village to take out an unspecified group of extremists.

Some of those involved have already been doing this for real. Lt Unyine Collins, of the Nigerian Special Boat Service, has spent seven months on the frontline fighting Boko Haram.

He described a ruthless enemy using brutal tactics. "They use suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, mines, basically they use the same tactics as ISIS," he said.

It's an indication of the potential threats that 250 British troops will be facing when they enter Mali later this year.

They may be part of a peacekeeping mission, but the British will be conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols into hostile territory.

Nearly 200 UN peacekeepers have already lost their lives in Mali. France, which has more than 5,000 troops in the country, has also suffered casualties there.

So is Britain about to become mired in another long-drawn conflict?

Brig Gus Fair, commander of the Specialised Infantry Group, insisted it would not become another Afghanistan or Iraq for the British Army.

He said that "we are up front in seeing this as a regional problem for a regional solution", adding that it involved partnering nations rather than taking direct sovereign intervention.

Nevertheless, the British Army's peacekeeping mission in Mali will probably be the most dangerous task it has faced since the end of combat operations in Helmand.

The harsh reality is that, so far, Western support - along with international troops and peacekeepers - has been unable to turn the rising tide of extremism in the region.

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2020-03-02 14:03:10Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTY5OTEwN9IBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE2OTkxMDc

Coronavirus: Spread of virus in UK 'likely' says Boris Johnson - BBC News

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The spread of coronavirus in the UK is "likely", the PM has said, but a plan has been agreed to tackle it.

Boris Johnson said people "should go about business as usual" at the moment, adding that the UK was "well prepared" and further details would be announced in the coming days and weeks.

It comes as the number of cases in the UK rose by four to 40 on Monday.

Meanwhile, the EU has raised the coronavirus risk level in member states to "moderate to high".

What do I need to know about the coronavirus?

A panel of experts and BBC reporters will be answering your questions about the coronavirus outbreak in a special programme on BBC One at 19:30 GMT on Monday

The prime minister said: "We have also agreed a plan so that if and when it starts to spread, as I'm afraid it looks likely it will, we are in a position to take the steps necessary to... contain the spread of the disease as far as we can, and to protect the most vulnerable."

He advised that "the single most useful thing" people could do was wash their hands "two times to Happy Birthday with hot water".

Downing Street said a UK-wide action plan to tackle coronavirus, agreed at Monday's emergency Cobra meeting, would be published on Tuesday.

The Budget will go ahead as planned on 11 March, despite the impact of the outbreak on the UK and global economy, a spokesman said.

On Monday, a tenant at Vinters Business Park in Maidstone, which rents out office space, confirmed one of its staff members had tested positive for Covid-19.

The business park said the team was taking the precaution of self-isolating and working from home.

Earlier, Public Health England (PHE) said widespread transmission of coronavirus in the UK was now "highly likely".

Medical Director Prof Paul Cosford said the increase in cases in the UK and abroad meant the UK must be prepared.

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If the outbreak worsens, the government has said measures could include asking newly-retired doctors and nurses to return to the NHS.

People could also be urged to work from home - and closing schools and cancelling major public events have also not been ruled out.

Sunday's cases included 12 in England and the first patient in Scotland, meaning the virus has now reached all four parts of the UK.

A health worker at an NHS cancer centre in Middlesex is among the cases, as is a staff member at Wimbledon College in south-west London, which has closed for deep cleaning.

Three cases in England have been linked to a man from Surrey, who was the first patient not to have been abroad recently and was instead infected within the UK.

A man who had been working in Bristol has also tested positive for the virus in Shenzhen, China, after flying from London to Hong Kong on Thursday, according to the Health Commission of Guangdong Province.

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Meanwhile, more British holidaymakers stuck in a quarantined hotel in Tenerife are preparing to return home after testing negative for the virus.

Around 25 Britons have already left the hotel, but 150 others are now in their seventh day at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace after a group of Italians contracted the virus.

Travel operator Jet2holidays said its customers would be travelling back to the UK on a dedicated flight on Monday afternoon.

Once home, they must isolate themselves until the original quarantine period ends on 10 March.

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As of 09:00 GMT on Monday, the Department of Health said a total of 13,525 people had been tested in the UK, of which 13,485 were negative.

Globally, around 86,000 people have been infected, with cases in more than 50 countries. More than 3,000 people have died - the vast majority in China's Hubei province, where the outbreak originated in December.


Have you been affected by the coronavirus? Or do you have any information to share? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

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2020-03-02 12:47:39Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTcwODU1MNIBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE3MDg1NTA

UK military gears up for deployment in Mali - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Britain is significantly stepping up its military support in West Africa to help combat the world's fastest growing Islamist-led insurgency.

Over the past month, British troops have been helping train local forces to fight extremism in the Sahel.

The region, a semi-arid stretch of land just south of the Sahara Desert, has been a frontline in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade.

Later this year, 250 British soldiers will join a UN mission in Mali.

It has been described as the most dangerous peacekeeping operation in the world.

In Senegal, a team of around 30 UK soldiers and Royal Marines have been training special forces from a number of West African nations in a US-led counter-terrorism exercise involving more than 1,600 troops.

Maj John House has been leading the British element of the training in Senegal with the focus on infantry skills and counter-terrorism operations.

He said it was in Britain's interests to get more involved in the region.

"If we don't act we may find the problems getting closer to our door," he said. "The more they have a presence in the region, the more we can feel the effect back in the UK."

Officers from US Special Operations Command Africa, which has been responsible for overseeing the exercise, are just as blunt.

US Maj Chris Giaquinto said the extremists "want to create a safe haven in Africa in order to grow and facilitate attacks, possibly in Europe or the United States".

There are now multiple extremist groups operating across the sub-Saharan region known as the Sahel. They include ones linked to the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Commander Djibril Diawara, of the Senegalese Armed Forces, described the situation as "alarming".

Over the past year the extremists have spread south from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The exercise culminated with special forces troops from Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria conducting a raid on a village to take out an unspecified group of extremists.

Some of those involved have already been doing this for real. Lt Unyine Collins, of the Nigerian Special Boat Service, has spent seven months on the frontline fighting Boko Haram.

He described a ruthless enemy using brutal tactics. "They use suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, mines, basically they use the same tactics as ISIS," he said.

It's an indication of the potential threats that 250 British troops will be facing when they enter Mali later this year.

They may be part of a peacekeeping mission, but the British will be conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols into hostile territory.

Nearly 200 UN peacekeepers have already lost their lives in Mali. France, which has more than 5,000 troops in the country, has also suffered casualties there.

So is Britain about to become mired in another long-drawn conflict?

Brig Gus Fair, commander of the Specialised Infantry Group, insisted it would not become another Afghanistan or Iraq for the British Army.

He said that "we are up front in seeing this as a regional problem for a regional solution", adding that it involved partnering nations rather than taking direct sovereign intervention.

Nevertheless, the British Army's peacekeeping mission in Mali will probably be the most dangerous task it has faced since the end of combat operations in Helmand.

The harsh reality is that, so far, Western support - along with international troops and peacekeepers - has been unable to turn the rising tide of extremism in the region.

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2020-03-02 12:00:25Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTY5OTEwN9IBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE2OTkxMDc

UK military gears up for deployment in Mali - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Britain is significantly stepping up its military support in West Africa to help combat the world's fastest growing Islamist-led insurgency.

Over the past month, British troops have been helping train local forces to fight extremism in the Sahel.

The region, a semi-arid stretch of land just south of the Sahara Desert, has been a frontline in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade.

Later this year, 250 British soldiers will join a UN mission in Mali.

It has been described as the most dangerous peacekeeping operation in the world.

In Senegal, a team of around 30 UK soldiers and Royal Marines have been training special forces from a number of West African nations in a US-led counter-terrorism exercise involving more than 1,600 troops.

Maj John House has been leading the British element of the training in Senegal with the focus on infantry skills and counter-terrorism operations.

He said it was in Britain's interests to get more involved in the region.

"If we don't act we may find the problems getting closer to our door," he said. "The more they have a presence in the region, the more we can feel the effect back in the UK."

Officers from US Special Operations Command Africa, which has been responsible for overseeing the exercise, are just as blunt.

US Maj Chris Giaquinto said the extremists "want to create a safe haven in Africa in order to grow and facilitate attacks, possibly in Europe or the United States".

There are now multiple extremist groups operating across the sub-Saharan region known as the Sahel. They include ones linked to the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Commander Djibril Diawara, of the Senegalese Armed Forces, described the situation as "alarming".

Over the past year the extremists have spread south from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The exercise culminated with special forces troops from Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria conducting a raid on a village to take out an unspecified group of extremists.

Some of those involved have already been doing this for real. Lt Unyine Collins, of the Nigerian Special Boat Service, has spent seven months on the frontline fighting Boko Haram.

He described a ruthless enemy using brutal tactics. "They use suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, mines, basically they use the same tactics as ISIS," he said.

It's an indication of the potential threats that 250 British troops will be facing when they enter Mali later this year.

They may be part of a peacekeeping mission, but the British will be conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols into hostile territory.

Nearly 200 UN peacekeepers have already lost their lives in Mali. France, which has more than 5,000 troops in the country, has also suffered casualties there.

So is Britain about to become mired in another long-drawn conflict?

Brig Gus Fair, commander of the Specialised Infantry Group, insisted it would not become another Afghanistan or Iraq for the British Army.

He said that "we are up front in seeing this as a regional problem for a regional solution", adding that it involved partnering nations rather than taking direct sovereign intervention.

Nevertheless, the British Army's peacekeeping mission in Mali will probably be the most dangerous task it has faced since the end of combat operations in Helmand.

The harsh reality is that, so far, Western support - along with international troops and peacekeepers - has been unable to turn the rising tide of extremism in the region.

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2020-03-02 10:08:14Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTY5OTEwN9IBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE2OTkxMDc

UK military gears up for deployment in Mali - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Britain is significantly stepping up its military support in West Africa to help combat the world's fastest growing Islamist-led insurgency.

Over the past month, British troops have been helping train local forces to fight extremism in the Sahel.

The region, a semi-arid stretch of land just south of the Sahara Desert, has been a frontline in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade.

Later this year, 250 British soldiers will join a UN mission in Mali.

It has been described as the most dangerous peacekeeping operation in the world.

In Senegal, a team of around 30 UK soldiers and Royal Marines have been training special forces from a number of West African nations in a US-led counter-terrorism exercise involving more than 1,600 troops.

Maj John House has been leading the British element of the training in Senegal with the focus on infantry skills and counter-terrorism operations.

He said it was in Britain's interests to get more involved in the region.

"If we don't act we may find the problems getting closer to our door," he said. "The more they have a presence in the region, the more we can feel the effect back in the UK."

Officers from US Special Operations Command Africa, which has been responsible for overseeing the exercise, are just as blunt.

US Maj Chris Giaquinto said the extremists "want to create a safe haven in Africa in order to grow and facilitate attacks, possibly in Europe or the United States".

There are now multiple extremist groups operating across the sub-Saharan region known as the Sahel. They include ones linked to the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Commander Djibril Diawara, of the Senegalese Armed Forces, described the situation as "alarming".

Over the past year the extremists have spread south from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The exercise culminated with special forces troops from Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria conducting a raid on a village to take out an unspecified group of extremists.

Some of those involved have already been doing this for real. Lt Unyine Collins, of the Nigerian Special Boat Service, has spent seven months on the frontline fighting Boko Haram.

He described a ruthless enemy using brutal tactics. "They use suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, mines, basically they use the same tactics as ISIS," he said.

It's an indication of the potential threats that 250 British troops will be facing when they enter Mali later this year.

They may be part of a peacekeeping mission, but the British will be conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols into hostile territory.

Nearly 200 UN peacekeepers have already lost their lives in Mali. France, which has more than 5,000 troops in the country, has also suffered casualties there.

So is Britain about to become mired in another long-drawn conflict?

Brig Gus Fair, commander of the Specialised Infantry Group, insisted it would not become another Afghanistan or Iraq for the British Army.

He said that "we are up front in seeing this as a regional problem for a regional solution", adding that it involved partnering nations rather than taking direct sovereign intervention.

Nevertheless, the British Army's peacekeeping mission in Mali will probably be the most dangerous task it has faced since the end of combat operations in Helmand.

The harsh reality is that, so far, Western support - along with international troops and peacekeepers - has been unable to turn the rising tide of extremism in the region.

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2020-03-02 08:56:58Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTY5OTEwN9IBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE2OTkxMDc

UK military gears up for deployment in Mali - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Britain is significantly stepping up its military support in West Africa to help combat the world's fastest growing Islamist-led insurgency.

Over the past month, British troops have been helping train local forces to fight extremism in the Sahel.

The region, a semi-arid stretch of land just south of the Sahara Desert, has been a frontline in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade.

Later this year, 250 British soldiers will join a UN mission in Mali.

It has been described as the most dangerous peacekeeping operation in the world.

In Senegal, a team of around 30 UK soldiers and Royal Marines have been training special forces from a number of West African nations in a US-led counter-terrorism exercise involving more than 1,600 troops.

Maj John House has been leading the British element of the training in Senegal with the focus on infantry skills and counter-terrorism operations.

He said it was in Britain's interests to get more involved in the region.

"If we don't act we may find the problems getting closer to our door," he said. "The more they have a presence in the region, the more we can feel the effect back in the UK."

Officers from US Special Operations Command Africa, which has been responsible for overseeing the exercise, are just as blunt.

US Maj Chris Giaquinto said the extremists "want to create a safe haven in Africa in order to grow and facilitate attacks, possibly in Europe or the United States".

There are now multiple extremist groups operating across the sub-Saharan region known as the Sahel. They include ones linked to the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Commander Djibril Diawara, of the Senegalese Armed Forces, described the situation as "alarming".

Over the past year the extremists have spread south from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The exercise culminated with special forces troops from Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria conducting a raid on a village to take out an unspecified group of extremists.

Some of those involved have already been doing this for real. Lt Unyine Collins, of the Nigerian Special Boat Service, has spent seven months on the frontline fighting Boko Haram.

He described a ruthless enemy using brutal tactics. "They use suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, mines, basically they use the same tactics as ISIS," he said.

It's an indication of the potential threats that 250 British troops will be facing when they enter Mali later this year.

They may be part of a peacekeeping mission, but the British will be conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols into hostile territory.

Nearly 200 UN peacekeepers have already lost their lives in Mali. France, which has more than 5,000 troops in the country, has also suffered casualties there.

So is Britain about to become mired in another long-drawn conflict?

Brig Gus Fair, commander of the Specialised Infantry Group, insisted it would not become another Afghanistan or Iraq for the British Army.

He said that "we are up front in seeing this as a regional problem for a regional solution", adding that it involved partnering nations rather than taking direct sovereign intervention.

Nevertheless, the British Army's peacekeeping mission in Mali will probably be the most dangerous task it has faced since the end of combat operations in Helmand.

The harsh reality is that, so far, Western support - along with international troops and peacekeepers - has been unable to turn the rising tide of extremism in the region.

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2020-03-02 08:42:19Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTY5OTEwN9IBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE2OTkxMDc