European Union foreign ministers agreed on Thursday in Brussels to send a military mission of 450 to 500 soldiers to train and restructure Mali government forces. The mission, which aims to enhance the capacity of the Mali army to fight Islamists and restore national integrity, will be launched in mid-February and be based in Bamako, the capital.

Mali's Foreign Minister Tieman Coulibaly pauses before answering a journalists question during a media conference after an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Thursday (Photo: AP)

The EU will allocate 16.5 million USD for the mission’s 15-month operation. The EU mission was proposed several months ago and was moved up to February after France launched its own military intervention campaign in Mali. France has launched air strikes against Islamists in Bamako and dispatched infantry forces to Mali.