French troops’ initial clashes with Islamist militants in Mali have shown that the desert fighters are better trained and equipped than France had anticipated before last week’s military intervention, French and other UN diplomats said.

French troops have encircled a key Malian town to stop radical Islamists from striking closer to the capital, a French official said.

France is tripling the number of troops deployed to Mali to 2,500, part of the massive preparation for a land assault to dislodge Islamist extremists.