Britain has sent 300 soldiers to join the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, where ISIS and Al Qaeda remain a potent threat.
The troops "will provide a highly specialised reconnaissance capability" and conduct intelligence-gathering patrols while engaging with local communities.
The UN's 14,000-strong mission to Mali, known by its acronym Minusma, is the world's deadliest peacekeeping operation, with 227 fatalities since its launch in 2013 when France intervened to push back militants who seized the north of the country.
"As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, this deployment is a demonstration of our firm commitment to peacekeeping and the importance we place on improving security in the Sahel by protecting local communities," said Britain's Defence Minister, Ben Wallace.
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A little girl is seen while she's sifting the mile with two bowls in a camp in the town of Sevare for internally displaced people from the ongoing conflict in Mali, on February 28, 2020. In total 151 households and 712 individuals have fled their villages in central Mali and found a shelter in the camp. AFP -
A displaced family stands in a courtyard in Sevare where they found a shelter after fleeing their village of Guerri in central Mali, on February 27, 2020. AFP -
An aerial view shows the harbor of Mopti in central Mali on February 29, 2020. Two months earlier 400 Dogon people fled their village of Toou finding a shelter in a school in Sevare. AFP -
An aerial view shows a village of cattle breeders in the outskirts of Mopti in central Mali, on February 29, 2020. AFP -
Displaced men worship in a courtyard in Sevare in central Mali, on February 26, 2020. Two months earlier 400 Dogon people fled their village of Toou finding a shelter in a school of Sevare. AFP -
A displaced woman does the laundry while a group of children is playing behind here, in Sevare in central Mali on February 26, 2020. AFP -
Amadou Diakite, 75, poses in a courtyard of Sevare after fleeing his village of Guerri in central Mali, on February 27, 2020. In January 2019 Jihadists broke in the village, setting fire on it, killing 3 villagers, and stealing all the livestock. AFP -
A displaced family is seen in a courtyard of Sevare where they found a shelter after fleeing their village of Guerri in central Mali, on February 27, 2020. In January 2019 Jihadists broke in the village, setting fire on it, killing 3 villagers, and stealing all the livestock. AFP -
Displaced children play with old tires in a courtyard in Sevare in central Mali, on February 26, 2020. AFP
The ministry said the Sahel is one of Africa's poorest and most fragile regions.
"It is marked by chronic poverty, instability, high levels of gender inequality and is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change," it said.
"Terrorist violence and conflict is sharply on the rise. It is in all our interests that we work together to protect civilians and help build a safer, healthier and more prosperous future for the region."
Most of the soldiers will be based in Gao in northern Mali.
The British contribution was first announced in July 2019.
"We’ve trained hard for the last year to make sure that we are ready for this challenging mission," said the commanding officer of the Light Dragoons, Lt Col Tom Robinson.
"We’re proud to be the first British soldiers to join in this team effort to help combat instability in the Sahel."
