Czech soldiers to join France’s counter-terror mission in Africa – govt

The Czech government on Monday approved a plan by its ministry of defense to deploy up to 60 troops as part of France’s counter-terrorism mission in Africa. The service members will join Operation Barkhane, France’s largest overseas military mission, AP reports.

It has been working to root out Islamic militants roaming the Sahel region. The government said Mali, Niger and Chad have all approved the Czech deployment.

However, the plan to deploy Czech forces in the mission until the end of 2022 needs parliamentary approval. The Czechs already have some 120 military personnel in Mali as a part of a European Union training mission.