- Title: MALI: Canadian military arrives in Mali with French war supplies
- Date: 22nd January 2013
- Summary: BAMAKO, MALI (JANUARY 22, 2013) (REUTERS) CANADIAN C17 MILITARY PLANE ON TARMAC AFTER LANDING, PERSONNEL WATCHING ON MORE VARIOUS OF PLANE ON TARMAC WITH PERSONNEL NEARBY SIGN ON PLANE IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH READING 'CANADIAN FORCE' VARIOUS OF JEEP BEING UNLOADED OF CANADIAN PLANE CANADIAN PILOTS TALKING TO EACH OTHER (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNNAMED CANADIAN PILOT, SAYING: "We helping out the French here in a support role, so happy to help." CANADIAN PLANE ON TARMAC VARIOUS OF NIGERIAN PLANE MOVING ALONG TARMAC AFTER LANDING VARIOUS OF NIGERIAN TROOPS WALKING TOWARDS NIGERIAN PLANE VARIOUS OF MUNITION BEING UNLOADED
- Embargoed: 6th February 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Mali
- City:
- Country: Mali
- Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA8Y0UPHS6AMKYWSEZM7DMBO7M
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: Canadian and Nigerian military planes land in Malian capital Bamako as part of logistical aid to French forces fighting Islamist militants in the north of the country.
Military aircraft from various countries including Canada and Nigeria arrived in the Malian capital Bamako on Tuesday (January 22), loaded with supplies for French troops who are working alongside the Malian army to fight Islamist rebels in the north of the country.
Allied French and West African forces are seeking to drive the rebels out of northern Mali, which they seized from government forces after a coup last year left a power vacuum in the area.
A Canadian air transport on Tuesday delivered four jeeps to the French efforts in the West African country.
"We helping out the French here in a support role, so happy to help," said one Canadian pilot, who declined to give his name.
France, which launched air strikes in Mali 11 days ago to stop a surprise Islamist push towards the capital Bamako, could boost its number of troops on the ground to more than 3,000 in the coming days and weeks, a source said on Tuesday.
The former colonial power in Mali has urged a swift deployment of the UN-mandated African force to back up its 2,150-strong ground forces who are already there.
Some 1,000 African troops from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS and the central African nation of Chad have arrived, and that number is expected to top 5,000 in the coming weeks.
Nigeria plans to deploy up to 1,200 troops as part of a West African intervention force to support French and Malian troops battling Islamist militants in the Sahara desert.
The ECOWAS country also provided an air transport that delivered supplies on Tuesday in Bamako, where Nigerian troops unloaded ammunition bound for French troops in the field. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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