(Reuters) - Military experts from Africa, the United Nations and Europe have drafted plans to recapture northern Mali, officials said on Tuesday, as one faction of the Islamist rebels who occupy the territory called for talks.
A source with knowledge of the plan said the plan would involve a force of more than 4,000 personnel, mostly from West African countries.
"Every military option will be used - ground and air," the source said, asking not to be named.
International military experts drew up the plan at a week-long meeting in Bamako and submitted it on Tuesday to the West African regional bloc ECOWAS for approval.
The blueprint will be reviewed by the U.N. Security Council in mid-November, setting the stage for action.
The Security Council gave African leaders 45 days from October 12 to draw up a plan for military intervention to retake control of the north. Diplomats say that any such operation is months away, however.
