West African leaders agree to send troops to Mali's occupied north

West African nations have agreed to send 3,300 troops to help Mali wrest back control of its northern half, which was seized by al-Qaeda-linked fighters more than six months ago, according to an official involved in the discussions, and a statement read on Nigerian state television.

The decision came late Sunday at the end of an emergency summit in Nigeria's capital of the Economic Community of West African States, or Ecowas. They were joined by military experts from the United Nations, Europe as well as ministers from Algeria, Mali's neighbour to the north which has previously been against the military intervention. The plan needs final approval from the UN Security Council before it can be carried out.

An official involved in the negotiations said by telephone shortly after the meeting that the nations in West Africa are now unanimous in their decision to go forward with the military operation. He said that they will attempt one more round of negotiations with representatives of the Islamists controlling northern Mali, before moving ahead with the intervention.

"We have agreed that 3,300 troops will be sent from West Africa. In addition, around 5,000 Malian troops will also be involved. If there is no agreement in the talks, we will move in," said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official said that the largest number of troops will come from Nigeria, which has agreed to send 600 to 700 soldiers, he said. Niger is expected to contribute around 500, and the remaining troops will come from the other 13 nations in the 15-nation Ecowas bloc. Air power, he said, will be provided by either France or the United States.

Both France and the US have said that they will provide logistical support to the intervention, provided that it is first approved by the United Nations.