Germany to send 650 troops to Mali to relieve France

Germany will send up to 650 soldiers to Mali, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday, to provide some relief to France in its global fight against the Islamic State jihadists.
Von der Leyen made the announcement hours before German Chancellor Angela Merkel travels to Paris to meet President Francois Hollande to discuss support in the wake of the deadly November 13
attacks by the Islamic State group in the French capital.
“We will and must stand firmly by France’s side and do everything we can to help in this situation,” von der Leyen said after a parliamentary defence committee meeting.
“We will make a substantial contribution to this mandate. That is why we will soon put a mandate for 650 troops before [the German] parliament.”
She said the German soldiers would focus on logistics and reconnaissance as part of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA).