US Boosts
Military Assistance To Mali
The
United States says it is boosting military assistance to Mali to
help the country fight armed militants, including al Qaeda,
which are active in its northern desert.
The US Ambassador to Mali said Washington would donate vehicles
and communications equipment, worth 4.5 million dollars to allow
soldiers move around more easily and to bridge supplies across
long distances and difficult terrain.
The assistance will help to curb the activities of Al Qaeda in
the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) which said it had killed 28 soldiers
including a British hostage in northern Mali.
AQIM operates across a vast stretch of the Sahara, through
Mauritania, Mali and Niger, where huge distances and hazardous
terrain make policing the region extremely difficult.
Reuters/Qasim/Yinka
