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
-
![Roke unveils new portable EW system]()
Roke unveils new portable EW system
Roke’s EM-Vis Deceive has been designed to be modular, open-standards based and mission configurable, and can be carried by a single soldier.
-
![Australian Army advances with the implementation of countermining training]()
Australian Army advances with the implementation of countermining training
The branch entered this year in the second phase of the deployment of the FLAIM Sweeper system.
-
![Need more flexibility in battle management system delivery?]()
Need more flexibility in battle management system delivery?
Systematic’s newest solution, SitaWare BattleCloud, brings greater flexibility to combat information systems and C4ISR.
-
![QinetiQ awarded contract for further work on lasers, future systems and energy weapons]()
QinetiQ awarded contract for further work on lasers, future systems and energy weapons
Notable projects under the Weapons Sector Research Framework (WSRF) contract include the British Army determining the impact of a vehicle-mounted laser weapon on drones and testing a vehicle-mounted Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW).
-
![Beretta discloses details of its proposal for the British Army’s Project Grayburn]()
Beretta discloses details of its proposal for the British Army’s Project Grayburn
The company is offering weapons and accessories produced by itself and by other Beretta Holding subsidiaries.
-
![Axe swings on US Army procurements]()
Axe swings on US Army procurements
The US Army was undergoing a large refresh of its land vehicles but this seems to have come to a whiplash stop. Procurements have been reduced, legacy vehicles and systems are on the chopping block and even the number of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) is under threat.
