Most of the regional armies, apart from Niger, have no experience of the complex task to be carried out in sandy or mountainous conditions, he says.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the West African force would include 600 troops from Nigeria, 500 each from Niger, Burkina Faso, Togo and Senegal, and 300 from Benin.
The leader of the hostage-takers was a veteran fighter from Niger, named as Abdul Rahman al-Nigeri by the Mauritanian news agency ANI, which had been in contact with the militants.
And there are ominous reports that the Sudanese government, in what would be ethnic cleansing, is inviting Arab tribesmen from Niger and Chad to occupy the lands vacated by the refugees.
However, it was Blair's comments on Iraq's alleged attempts to obtain uranium from Niger that sparked a new controversy over the accuracy of intelligence information and how it was used to justify war.
The leader of the hostage-takers is said to be a veteran fighter from Niger, named as Abdul Rahman al-Nigeri by the Mauritanian news agency ANI, which has been in contact with the militants.
He said preparations were "gathering pace" for the deployment of a West African force, including 600 troops from Nigeria, and 500 each from Niger, Burkina Faso, Togo and Senegal, and 300 from Benin.
On Thursday, French military spokesman Col Thierry Burkhard said a column of 1, 400 troops from Chad was heading towards Kidal from the Niger border.
Our reporter says the crowds of mourners are likely to remain outside the sultan's palace for many weeks - some travelling from neighbouring Niger and other West Africa countries with large Muslim populations, such as Chad, Mali and Senegal.
Nearly 2, 000 army personnel from Chad and Niger, with experience of fighting in the Sahara desert, are already helping consolidate the recent gains.
BBC: Mali conflict: Timbuktu hails French President Hollande
Another verdict is due later this year in a court in London, in a case that thousands of people from one badly polluted Niger Delta community hope will force Shell to pay compensation.
The Black Stars, who are the second favorites to win the competition behind Didier Drogba's Ivory Coast side, beat Niger with goals from Asamoah Gyan, Christian Atsu and John Boye.
The force will be made up of 900 Nigerian soldiers, the first of whom will leave for Bamako on Wednesday, as well as troops from Benin, Ghana, Niger, Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Togo.
Baga is close to the border with both Chad and Niger and a multinational force from the three countries was attacked, its commander Brig Gen Austin Edokpaye said.
An email purportedly from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said it was responsible for the ambush in southern Nigeria on Friday.
Several thousand troops from nearby African nations, including Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Togo and Senegal, have already been sent to Mali to retain control of the retaken northern towns and also to take care of security in the south.
Mr Sellal said the kidnappers had crossed into the country from northern Mali, and that they were from Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Mali, Niger, Canada and Mauritania.
The prime minister said the kidnappers had crossed into the country from northern Mali, and that they were from Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Mali, Niger, Canada and Mauritania.
"As a result of the circumstances Algeria and Niger are going through and the fallout from the Mali crisis, we should be completely ready for any urgent situation that could happen in the area, " said Col.
Several thousand troops from Mali's neighbours, including Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Togo and Senegal have already been sent to Mali to retain control of the retaken northern towns and also to take care of security in the south.
Dan Fodio, an ethnic Fulani Islamic scholar, rose up against the Hausa rulers of what is now northern Nigeria and Niger and created an empire which stretched from modern-day Burkina Faso to Cameroon, becoming one of Africa's largest pre-colonial states.
Niger never really looked like they could recover from two such early setbacks, and they were dealt a further blow just before half time when Boutabout got his first.
In Niger the government has had to work hard to distance itself from dozens of Qaddafi loyalists, including at least one son, who have taken refuge in the country.
There will then be a meeting with nine leaders from African countries - Algeria, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa.
However, a senior Niger military official has told Reuters news agency that the bodies were found away from the scene of the clash, implying that they were probably "executed" before the failed rescue mission.
It now contains material sourced from all over Mali and as far as the borders of Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Guinea, Niger, Algeria and the Ivory Coast.
The FFR broke away from the better known Tuareg MNJ rebels, who are fighting for greater autonomy and a larger share of northern Niger's vast mineral wealth.
Novak, a CNN contributor, revealed Plame's identity in a July 14 column about Wilson's trip to Niger for the CIA in 2002 to investigate a British intelligence report that Iraq had attempted to obtain uranium from the African country.
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