British Chinooks' Mali deployment extended
Three British armed forces Chinook helicopters have had their operational deployment to Northern Mali extended by a minimum of six months, the UK Ministry of Defence announced on 8 July.
The Chinook helicopters and around 100 personnel deployed to Mali in 2018 as part of French-lead counter-terrorism operations in the country.
The helicopters provide logistics support to French ground forces, enabling them to more effectively operate across the Sahel including in Niger and Burkina Faso.
Penny Mordaunt, Defence Secretary, said: ‘The UK is increasing its engagement across the region to address the long-term drivers of poverty and instability.
‘This involves setting up new embassies, expanding our development programme and supporting security interventions in the region. As well as boosting stability and prosperity, this supports international efforts to counter illegal migration through and from the Sahel.’
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