Estonia to send 50 troops to reinforce French-led Mali mission
Tallinn, March 22, 2018 (AFP) - Estonia's government on Thursday agreed to send 50 troops from the Baltic state to Mali as part of France's Operation Barkhane anti-jihadist mission.
'By participating in an operation with the aim of creating stability on the southern edge of NATO and the EU, we support our strong European ally,' Estonian Defence Minister Juri Luik said in a government statement.
The country's parliament still has to green-light the year-long mission, in which an Estonian infantry unit on armoured personnel carriers would be tasked with ensuring the security of the Gao military base and its surroundings.
Around 4,000 French troops are deployed under Operation Barkhane alongside the United Nations 12,000-strong MINUSMA peacekeeping operation in Mali.
France launched an intervention to chase out jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda who had overtaken key northern cities in Mali in 2013.
That mission evolved into the current Barkhane deployment launched in 2014 with an expanded mandate for counter-terror operations across the Sahel.
More from Land Warfare
-
The Philippines looks to Israel for military equipment amid South China Sea tensions
The southeast Asian country has been enhancing its military readiness by procuring advanced Israeli defence platforms and systems.
-
NSPA signs new helmet system framework deal and agreement for C-UAS systems
The Caiman helmet has been designed to be scalable for dynamic operations with mission-specific accessories and can incorporate electronics, communications headsets and other critical equipment.
-
US Missile Defense Agency’s budget could be cut by $2.6 billion over the next three years
The reduction would impact several acquisition and development programmes, creating capabilities gaps in US missile defence architecture.
-
Israel ramps up Arrow-4 development following Iranian attack
Israel’s Ministry of Defense has fast-tracked the development of the Arrow-4 ballistic missile interceptor in response to recent Iranian ballistic missile attacks.
-
Saab to manufacture Carl-Gustaf M4 near New Delhi as Swedish firm eyes Indian expansion
Saab has planned to build “a streamlined ownership structure” in India to accelerate its investment plans and developing capabilities in the country.
-
Japan orders THeMIS UGVs
Milrem’s Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System (THeMIS) is a modular, multimission, hybrid UGV. The current fifth-generation model incorporates knowledge gained during tests in the US, Europe and the Middle East, as well as during field-deployment in Mali in the French-led Operation Barkhane.