Cameron to visit Algeria after offering more than 330 British troops to take on Islamist terror groups in neighbouring in Mali

• Up to 40 UK personnel to train Malian army and another 200 to prepare combat troops from neighbouring countries
  
• At least 90 more personnel providing crews for Sentinel spy plane and C17 transport aircraft
• Britain also offering roll-on-roll-off ferry to transport French kit and US could use UK airbases for fuelling planes
• Washington warned conflict could take 'years' to win
• Former head of the Army General Sir Mike Jackson warns nations risk becoming drawn into a 'protracted guerrilla warfare'
• Ex-defence minister Sir Nick Harvey says troop numbers can rise 'rapidly'
  
• Labour warns British public are 'weary' after Iraq and Afghanistan and do not want to be involved in more 'foreign adventures'
  

By MATT CHORLEY and JASON GROVES

PUBLISHED: 23:07 GMT, 28 January 2013 | UPDATED: 17:34 GMT, 29 January 2013

David Cameron is to visit Algeria in the wake of the hostage crisis that left six Britons dead as the Government steps up its commitment to fighting terrorist groups in the region.

The Prime Minister meet his counterpart Abdelmalek Sellal tomorrow to discuss the attack on the In Amenas gas plant, which is jointly operated by BP, earlier this month.

It comes as Britain promised up to 330 British troops to the battle against Islamist militants in Mali, amid warnings that the conflict in Africa could last for years.

Mr Cameron is also due to attend an international development conference in the Liberian capital, Monrovia this week, as officials thrash out a deal to send scores of British troops to train West African forces.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond was today forced to deny 'mission creep' in the intervention in Mali after it emerged the number of British troops involved is set to rise to 330.

Up to 240 troops could be deployed to train the Malian and prepare combat troops from neighbouring west African countries, while around 90 personnel are providing a transport aircraft and spy plane.

Britain is also offering a roll-on-roll-off ferry to transport French equipment to Africa and allies, including the US, could use UK bases for air-to-air fuelling.

The move represents a major escalation of British involvement in the three-week-long French-led conflict and came on the day Washington warned the conflict could take ‘years’ to win.

In the Commons today Mr Hammond stressed that the UK assistance was clearly defined and did not include a combat role.

He told MPs: 'It is not our intention to deploy combat troops. We are very clear about the risks of mission creep and we have defined very carefully the support that we are willing to provide to the French and the Malian authorities.'

But former defence minister Sir Nick Harvey warned the number of British troops could escalate 'quite rapidly'.

'If we get into the realms of having to do our own force protection then I think the numbers would go up markedly, so I think watch this space on that one,' he told BBC News.

He said the numbers needed for protection would depend how wide an area they are operating over.

'If it’s all in one place, then perhaps not that many, but if they’re spread out in different locations providing technical advice to different aspects of the Malian forces then those numbers will begin to climb quite rapidly so I hope we don’t get into that,' Sir Nick added.

FULL STORY: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2269818/Cameron-visit-Alger...