France launches new anti-ISIS force in Sahel region
France pins a lot of hope on the Takuba multinational force to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Sahel region.
The force has already seen Czech, Swedish and Estonian troops
deployed in the region.
Meeting of
senior commanders
Mali's interim
president Bah Ndaw met French Minister of Defense Florence Parly on April 1,
along with the ministers of defense of the Czech Republic and Estonia who
started an official visit to his country on the same day.
These defense
ministers will meet a host of Malian officials during their visit, according to
an official source.
Statement
The French Ministry
of Defense said in a statement that the defense ministers visiting Mali would
announce the official launch of the Takuba multinational force which will fight
ISIS in the African Sahel region.
This force will
fight the terrorist organization along with the Barkhane force, the ministry
said.
It added that the
visiting ministers would ensure the operational power of the new force during
their visit.
African Sahel
countries are in grave danger because of the growing presence of ISIS and other
terrorist organizations in them.
The same terrorist
organizations pose threats to Western interests in these countries.
Takuba
force
The states
participating in the Takuba force will fight terrorism in the Sahel region,
especially in Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Nigeria. These are countries where
terrorist groups are most active.
They will fight
these terrorist groups along with elitist forces from the same countries.
The new force has 500 French soldiers at its core, and is expected to grow to
2,000 troops, who are to operate in close cooperation with the national armies
of the region.
