Estonia Plans To Double Number Of Troops Joining French-Led Military Operation In Mali

TALLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th September, 2019) The Estonian Defense Ministry plans to almost double the number of troops that are participating in France's Barkhane military operation in Mali, the Estonian government said in a statement Wednesday.

In 2018, the Estonian government approved the dispatch of a unit of up to 50 servicemen to participate in Barkhane military operation. Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas said back in then that this move served an example of the military cooperation with Paris.

"Next year, it is planned to add additional forces in the areas of medicine, demining, fire control, as well as a special forces unit to the Estonian servicemen participating in the operation.

Up to 95 people in total," the statement said.

The statement added that the costs of participation in the operation were covered by the Defense Ministry. The costs for the next year are estimated at 5.4 million Euros (almost $6 million).

Operation Barkhane, which serves to combat jihadi activity in the Sahel region, was launched in August 2014 by France and five countries in the region � Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. Currently, the French portion of the operation's forces comprises about 4,000 servicemen.