Sir Michael said he was giving "very close consideration" to deploying 3 Commando Brigade, currently on exercises in Oman and the UK's specialist winter and mountain warfare troops, inside Afghanistan.
In last month's raid, the biggest Nato-led operation in 18 months, hundreds of troops were deployed in the mountain town of Pale after intelligence was received that the former Bosnian Serb leader was in the area.
Islamist rebels withdrew to the remote mountain range near the border with Algeria after French troops backed by helicopters and jets advanced to capture the main towns in northern Mali.
Islamist rebels withdrew to the remote mountain range near the border with Algeria after French troops backed by helicopters and jets advanced to capture the main towns in northern Mali in January.