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Netherlands will send 380 soldiers and Apache attack helicopters to support UN mission Mali 0211132.
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Defence & Security News - Netherlands |
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| Saturday, November 2, 2013 10:30 AM | |||
Netherlands
will send 380 soldiers and Apache attack helicopters to support UN mission
in Mali. |
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The government of Netherlands will send around 380 military officers to
Mali to support the UN mission MINUSMA, the Dutch minister council stated
in a press release Friday, November 1, 2013. The Dutch troops will leave
before the end of 2013 and are expected to stay at least until December
2015. The mission will have two major purposes: The training of Mali police
and military officers and the collection of intelligence. |
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 Apache AH-64 attack helicopter of Dutch Air Force |
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| In addition, The Netherlands will send four Apache attack helicopters with advanced spy equipment on board. "The north of Mali has become a breeding ground for extremism and a safe haven for the training of terrorists. Mali is a crossroads of routes for smuggling drugs, weapons and illegal immigrants. These activities have become an important financial source for terrorist activities,"the Dutch minister council stated. Last year, the north of Mali was partly taken over by Islamic forces, after which France started military action. The UN Security Council established MINUSMA last April to support political and development processes in Mali, and carry out a number of security-related tasks. In October, United Nations appealed for extra troops for its Mali peacekeeping force, which faces a new surge in Islamist attacks. Former Dutch minister of development cooperation and UN special representative to Mali, Bert Koenders, earlier stressed that it is in the interest of the Netherlands to take part in this mission. He said that recent attacks in the north of the country had been "an important wake-up call" over security. |
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