BAMAKO: Qatar has sent 24 armoured vehicles to Mali, army officials from both countries said Friday, as Doha pledges closer ties with the West African Sahel country locked in a battle with jihadist insurgents.Qatari General al-Ghaffari said the vehicles would be used by the Malian army operating in areas with mines and improvised explosives."There will now be permanent cooperation between our armies in the fields of training, unit equipment and military exchanges between our countries," he told reporters in Mali´s capital Bamako Friday.Malian general Moustapha Drabo said the vehicles would help "protect our forces against ambushes, which is the tactic used by the terrorists". Mali has been struggling to return to stability after Islamist extremists took control of the north in early 2012, prompting a military intervention by France.The extremists were routed in the French operation in 2013 but large stretches of the landlocked African state remain out of government control.Qatar has recently been looking to shore up allies outside its own region, where it is in a bitter feud with its Gulf neighbours."With this gesture, Qatar is clearly showing that Mali is among its allies in the Sahel, where Doha will be visibly more present," Malian sociologist Mamadou Samake said.Qatar has found itself isolated since Saudi Arabia, along with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, severed diplomatic ties with Doha in 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism and fostering close ties with their regional rival Iran -- charges that Doha denies.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2EQzk0O
Sunday, December 30, 2018
Qatar sends 24 armoured vehicles to Mali
Related Posts:
Trump 'monitoring' reports of attack on base in Iraq, says White HouseWASHINGTON: The White House said Tuesday President Donald Trump was "monitoring" reports of a rocket attack on an airbase in western Iraq where US and coalition forces are based. "We are aware of the reports of attacks on US … Read More
Ex-Trump aide Bolton ready to testify in impeachment trialFormer US national security advisor John Bolton. Photo: File WASHINGTON: Former White House national security advisor John Bolton, in a surprise announcement, said on Monday that he is willing to testify if subpoenaed in the … Read More
South Korea's Moon seeks Kim Jong Un visit to SeoulSEOUL: South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday called for better relations with the North so leader Kim Jong Un can visit Seoul, despite Pyongyang's abandonment of its nuclear and missile test moratoriums. Moon's appeal… Read More
Iran launches missiles on Iraq base housing US troops: state TVBAGHDAD: Iran launched a missile attack on an Iraqi airbase in the country´s west early Wednesday where US and coalition forces are based, Iranian state media said. Security sources told AFP that nine rockets hit the sp… Read More
Iran fires missiles at US troop bases in Iraq BAGHDAD: Iran fired missiles Wednesday at Iraqi bases used by the US military, officials in Washington and Tehran said, in the first act of the Islamic republic´s promised revenge for the US killing of a top Iranian general… Read More
0 comments:
Post a Comment