China News Service, March 17th. According to foreign media reports, on the 16th local time, the Swedish government said that it had decided to send troops to Mali and join the French-led special forces to combat the extremist group "Islamic State" in the Sahel in North Africa. And Al Qaeda.
It is reported that Sweden will send a 150-person rapid reaction force as part of international efforts to strengthen security in the region.
It has been reported that since 2013, Sweden has only had a small army in Mali as part of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission.
The Sahel spans Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, and is the site of repeated clashes between local government forces and extremists supported by the French and other military forces. France launched the "Crescent Sand Dunes" operation in August 2014. In the framework of this operation, France sent about 4,000 soldiers to the Sahel, fighting with multinational forces in the region to combat terrorism.