The Malian military took note of an increased number of child fighters among extremists operating in the Sahel region, a hotspot of fighting between jihadist armed groups and counter-terrorism missions
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2021) The Malian military took note of an increased number of child fighters among extremists operating in the Sahel region, a hotspot of fighting between jihadist armed groups and counter-terrorism missions.
"The use of child soldiers by #GAT [armed terrorist groups] is becoming common practice. This is evidenced by recent fighting in which the #FAMa [Malian Armed Forces] and their partners have made the bitter observation of the employment of child combatants," the army tweeted late on Monday.
Malian defense troops are engaged in the French-led counter-terrorism operation Barkhane, which was launched in 2014 to battle insurgent terrorist groups plunging the region into a security crisis.
Within the framework of a 5,000-strong mission, France cooperates with armies of the G5-Sahel bloc member states, including Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and Niger.
