LAGOS, Nigeria – West African nations on Sunday agreed  to send some 3,000 troops to help the country of Mali wrest back control of  its northern half, which was seized by al-Qaeda-linked fighters more than six  months ago, according to an official involved in the discussions and a statement  read on Nigerian state television.

The decision came late on Sunday at the end of an emergency summit in Abuja  of the Economic Community of west African States (Ecowas). They were joined by  military experts from the UN, Europe and ministers from Algeria, Mali’s  neighbour to the north, which has previously been against the military  intervention. The plan needs final approval from the UN Security Council before  it can be carried out.

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An official involved in the negotiations said by telephone shortly after the  meeting that the nations in west Africa are now unanimous in their decision to  go forward with the military operation. He said that they will attempt one more  round of negotiations with representatives of the Islamists  controlling northern Mali, before moving ahead with the intervention.

“We have agreed that 3,300 troops will be sent from west Africa. In addition,  around 5,000 Malian troops will also be involved. If there is no agreement in  the talks, we will move in,” said the official who spoke on condition of  anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the press.

The official said that the largest number of troops will come from Nigeria,  which has agreed to send 600 to 700 soldiers, he said. Niger is expected to  contribute about 500. And the remaining troops will come from the other 13  nations in the 15-nation Ecowas bloc. Air power, he said, will be provided by  either France or the US.

Both France and the US have said they will provide technical and logistical  support to the intervention, provided it is first approved by the UN.

Mutinous soldiers overthrew Mali’s democratically elected president in March,  creating a power vacuum that paved the way for Islamists to grab the north, an  area the size of France. In the more than six months since then, the Islamic  extremists have imposed a strict form of sharia law. Music of all kinds has been  banned and people are not allowed to have a ringtone on their phones, unless it  is one based on Koranic recitations. Women have been flogged for failing to  cover themselves and in all three of the major towns in the north, residents  have been forced to watch thieves getting their hands hacked off.

The UN is expected to meet later this month to review the military plan.  Security analysts and diplomats say that even if the deployment of troops to  north Mali is approved by the UN it could take months to implement.

The official who spoke privately disagrees. “As soon as they say it’s OK, it  won’t take 24 hours for us to go. If the UN says go, we will move in  immediately. They (the troops from Ecowas) will be targeting the hardcore  Islamists. Not the Malian nationals but the foreigners,” he said.

In recent weeks, representatives of Ansar Dine, one of the Islamic factions  operating in the north, have sent delegations to Burkina Faso and to Algeria in  an effort to negotiate a solution in order to avoid a military intervention.  Ansar Dine is believed to be made up mostly of Malian fighters, whereas the two  other groups are said to be primarily composed of foreign fighters, some  allegedly from as far afield as Pakistan. Mediators are hoping to weaken the  Islamic rebel front by peeling off the more moderate members.