International • Created March 20, 2018 02:00

MALI: Canada to send troops to aid UN’s mission

Canada will send six helicopters and 250 support troops to join a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali this year, officials said on Monday. Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan told reporters that Canada would deploy two Chinook transport helicopters and four Griffon attack helicopters to provide armed escort and protection in the fight against militants in […]

MALI: Canada to send troops to aid UN’s mission
MALI: Canada to send troops to aid UN’s mission

Canada will send six helicopters and 250 support troops to join a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali this year, officials said on Monday.

Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan told reporters that Canada would deploy two Chinook transport helicopters and four Griffon attack helicopters to provide armed escort and protection in the fight against militants in Mali. 

Canadian government sources, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said the force would be deployed for 12 months. 

“We are aware of the complexities and the difficulties of the situation in Mali. … We have been very thoughtful, very prudent in our decision to undertake that mission,” Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters. 

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