Canadian forces in Mali: Source
Canadian military special forces are in Mali protecting Canada’s embassy, Postmedia News has learned.
The specially trained soldiers are not in the West African country to participate in any direct combat, nor will they provide training to the Malian troops, a source said Monday.
However, the special forces personnel have been assigned to provide protection to Canada’s embassy in the capital city of Bamako and provide for the safety of Canadians in the country.
A senior Department of National Defence source speaking on background, while stressing he had no specific information about the mission, said “such a mission would be consistent with their specialized close-protection training in hostile environments. When the threat level is very high, they can be assigned this mission. This is what was done in Libya after (the fall of dictator Moammar) Gadhafi.”
It is not known how many members of the special unit are in Mali, nor how long they have been there. However, it is understood that with so much instability in the country, Canada wants to ensure its diplomats are guarded.
JTF2, or Joint Task Force 2, is a Canadian Forces special operations unit, believed to number about 500 soldiers, based just outside Ottawa. Its members are drawn from across the Canadian Forces and are generally considered to be the elite of the elite. JTF2 commandos are highly secretive, revealing neither their identities nor their missions to outsiders. They serve in combat zones typically as advance reconnaissance, snipers, counter-terrorism and protection detail — including safeguarding of Canadian diplomatic assets and personnel.
Mali is at the centre of international concern over the actions of Islamic militants linked to al-Qaida who have threatened the stability of the nation.