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TORONTO (AP) — Canada has announced a peacekeeping effort in the West African country of Mali that includes six helicopters and some support troops.
Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Monday the deployment will be 12 months.
The mission will include two Chinook helicopters for airlift operations and four armed Griffon helicopters for escort purposes. The number of troops has not been determined yet.
Mali has been in turmoil since a 2012 uprising prompted mutinous soldiers to overthrow the country's president of a decade. The power vacuum that was created ultimately fueled an Islamic insurgency and a French-led war that ousted the jihadists from power in 2013. But insurgents remain active in the region.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to return Canada to peacekeeping after more than a decade of dwindling participation.
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