Crack team of 300 British troops vow to smash jihadis in Mali if terrorists are foolish enough to take them on
BRITISH soldiers on the world’s most dangerous peacekeeping mission have vowed to smash any terrorists foolish enough to take them on.
The crack team of 300 troops will be backed by French Mirage jets and Tigre attack helicopters in the event of a major firefight in the badlands of northern Mali.
They will travel with a mobile operating theatre as they venture into the desert heartlands of IS and al-Qaeda-linked groups in the West African country.
In a message to jihadis, Lt Col Thomas Robinson said: “Anyone who decides to ambush us or try to take us on sort of toe-to-toe is going to come off second best.
“If someone targets us or threatens the lives of my soldiers, or the local population, then we will have no hesitation in using force.”
His heavily armed troops from the Light Dragoons and Royal Anglian regiments will launch month-long missions from their base in Gao.
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They are part of a 15,000-strong multinational force under Chinese leadership and charged with protecting civilians.
For many, it will be their first taste of a battle zone — one where 134 UN peacekeepers have been killed since 2013.
But Lt Col Robinson shrugged off any concerns, saying: “We are really well-trained. We have years of experience from both Iraq and Afghanistan.”
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