Canada will be joining the withdrawal of a French-led military contingent from Mali after supporting the operation against Islamist militants for nearly a decade, according to a joint declaration by the military allies.
Canada does not have troops in the counter-insurgency campaign, known today as Operation Barkhane and Task Force Takuba, but has been supporting it with Canadian military transport aircraft since 2013.
France and its allies in the West African country, including Canada, have been increasingly critical of Mali’s military junta after it postponed elections and recruited hundreds of Russian military contractors for its internal security.
