Breaking news
Italy to send two C-130 transport aircraft one 767 refueling to support French Army Mali 2401132.
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Defence News - Italy |
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| Thursday, January 24, 2013, 11:10 AM | |||
| Italy to send two C-130 transport aircraft and one 767 refueling plane to support French Army in Mali. | |||
Italy
said on Tuesday, January 22, 2013, that it will send three planes to Mali
to help support French and Malian troops battling Islamist rebels after
parliament gave the green light for a two- to three-month logistical mission. |
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| Defence Minister Giampaolo Di Paola said Italy would send “two C-130 transport planes and a 767 plane for refueling.” He had earlier said the transport planes will be used to ship troops and equipment from neighboring countries offering assistance to Mali. Between 15 and 24 Italian instructors will also be sent as part of a European mission to help train Malian troops. Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi said Jan. 22 that Italy was “not only engaged in the fight against terrorism but also in the stabilization and development of the Sahel” region and “couldn’t not take part in the Mali operation”. “Mali is going through a serious crisis which renders necessary the support of the international community to avoid the country plunging for good into a situation... worse than in Somalia and Afghanistan,” he said. |
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