Chinese peacekeepers run to support the sentry post at the west gate in the joint exercise on March 22, local time.
By Jia Chunming, Liu Xiaoshuai and Aller Muse
MALI, Mar. 25 (ChinaMil) -- The 6th Chinese peacekeeping force to Mali conducted a joint defense exercise with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) Sector East at the Super Camp in Gao on March 22, local time. The exercise aims to enhance the capacity to jointly tackle all sorts of emergencies.
Recently, the security situation around the mission area of Gao has gotten complicated with frequent terrorist activities. According to briefings of the mission area, a total of 41 terrorist attacks have occurred in the area since the beginning of March, resulting in 39 deaths and 28 injuries. The constant “Orange Alert” issued by MINUSMA signifies that terrorist groups and extremists may take action anytime to endanger the safety of the MINUSMA Super Camp in Gao and Chinese peacekeepers there.
To address the security situation that may deteriorate, and deal with all sorts of emergencies, the headquarters of the MINUSMA Sector East launched the joint defense exercise, including emergency evacuation, key point surveillance, passage control, regional coordination, and maneuver and mobility support, in the name of preventing combined attacks by terrorists.
Chinese peacekeepers primarily participated in eight training subjects of the exercise, such as handling curved firearms attacks, stopping unidentified vehicles from approaching the passage, treatment and transfer of the injured, and putting down fire in residential quarters. Those training subjects aimed to test peacekeeping troops’ capacities of performing tasks such as commanding chain coordination, recon detection and precaution, comprehensive passage blockade and control, emergency quick-reaction support, and battlefield first aid. The entire exercise lasted for nearly three hours.
“During the exercise, peacekeeping forces from China, Bengalese, Senegal, Cambodia and other countries effectively tackled ‘terrorist attack’ through information sharing and joint combat, and learned from each other’s combat concepts and skills. The troops’ capacities of handling emergencies got effectively enhanced,” said Zhong Jingbo, chief commander of the 6th Chinese peacekeeping force to Mali.
