[An Nahar] The Netherlands is considering sending some 400 soldiers including elite commandos, as well as Apache attack helicopters to war-torn Mali following an appeal for more U.N. peacekeepers, a newspaper report said Saturday.The plan follows an urgent request by the U.N.'s special representative in the west African country for more blue helmets as its peacekeeping force faced a new surge of Islamist attacks.
"The plan is to send in around 400 Dutch troops. This included 70 commandos, able to operate behind enemy lines to gather intelligence," the Dutch leftist daily De Volkskrant reported, based on interviews with 15 unnamed diplomats, top military sources and politicians.