U.K. to send troops to Somalia and South Sudan

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- The United Kingdom is sending troops to both Somalia and South Sudan to support U.N. efforts in peacekeeping missions against al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab.

British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed to supply troops to provide medical, logistical, and engineering support, but will not be involved in front-line operations, according to Sky News.

South Sudan has been the site of a brutal civil war, which has led to food shortages and the displacement of millions of people. Somalia has seen the rise of an African al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab, which maintains control over several rural areas of the country.

The British government has not yet agreed to a precise number of troops to commit, but up to 70 can deploy to Somalia to support the African Union's efforts against al-Shabaab, and up to 250-300 troops can deploy to South Sudan.

Prime Minister Cameron is expected to pledge military support at the U.N. General Assembly.

"It's not committing troops to conflict, it's committing troops to a UN blue-hatted peacekeeping role," Prime Minister Cameron told BBC reporters, "And one of the reasons we're doing it is obviously the expertise that British troops have in training, engineering, and mentoring and we're raising the standard for peacekeeping troops which has had some issues and problems in the recent past."