Cabinet approved the extension for 20 members of the Army to be deployed in the West African country
The Defence Forces’ participation in the EU Training Mission in Mali is to be extended by 12 months, RTÉ News has learned. , where they provide training to the Malian security forces. Nine Defence Forces members are currently based at EUTM headquarters in the Malian capital Bamako. The remainder are deployed 60km outside Bamako at the Koulikoro training camp where they give instruction in urban combat, bomb disposal and international human rights law.
Seven men armed with guns and rockets were also seen taking part in the attack on the base’s security cameras. Three Malians were injured in the attack. It is believed the attackers intended to break through the gate with the first suicide truck bomb and detonate the second inside the facility. The Spanish colonel said the attack may have been in response to the killing of two senior Al Queda-linked militants near Timbuktu by French forces.