Netherlands Apaches arrive in Mali

The first two of the four Boeing AH-64DN Apache that the Netherlands is contributing to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) flew into Camp Castor in Gao province on 16 May.
All four Apaches were shipped to Mali's capital Bamako in a chartered Antonov transport aircraft earlier in May and the second two will fly to Camp Castor in a few days.
This is the first time Apaches have been deployed to support a UN peacekeeping mission. The Dutch Ministry of Defence said they will be used to gather intelligence and provide close air support for ground troops if required.
The Dutch engineers who constructed Camp Castor, which includes temporary hangars for the Apaches, handed the base over to the deployment element on 2 May.
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