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| Dutch minister resigns over deaths of Mali peacekeepers | Dutch minister resigns over deaths of Mali peacekeepers |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Dutch defence minister has resigned over the deaths of two soldiers during a training exercise in Mali in 2016. | The Dutch defence minister has resigned over the deaths of two soldiers during a training exercise in Mali in 2016. |
| Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert stepped down after a report denounced "serious shortcomings" by her ministry. | Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert stepped down after a report denounced "serious shortcomings" by her ministry. |
| The soldiers died when a mortar grenade exploded unexpectedly during target practice. A third was gravely injured. | The soldiers died when a mortar grenade exploded unexpectedly during target practice. A third was gravely injured. |
| The Dutch Safety Board said last week that the military had been using old, defective grenades that had not been tested or stored correctly. | The Dutch Safety Board said last week that the military had been using old, defective grenades that had not been tested or stored correctly. |
| In its report, it said the shells had been bought in 2006 "with the help of the US Department of Defence amid a pressure of time". The defence ministry did not follow its own procedures to check they were safe. | In its report, it said the shells had been bought in 2006 "with the help of the US Department of Defence amid a pressure of time". The defence ministry did not follow its own procedures to check they were safe. |
| "I am politically responsible and am taking that responsibility," Ms Hennis-Plasschaert told the lower house of parliament in The Hague on Tuesday. | "I am politically responsible and am taking that responsibility," Ms Hennis-Plasschaert told the lower house of parliament in The Hague on Tuesday. |
| She had been expected to play a key role in Prime Minister Mark Rutte's new government. | She had been expected to play a key role in Prime Minister Mark Rutte's new government. |
| General Tom Middendorp, the top Dutch military commander, also stepped down over the failures. | General Tom Middendorp, the top Dutch military commander, also stepped down over the failures. |
| They pair had come under increasing pressure over the deaths of Kevin Roggeveld, 24, and Henry Hoving, 29, in Kidal, in north-west Mal in July last year. | They pair had come under increasing pressure over the deaths of Kevin Roggeveld, 24, and Henry Hoving, 29, in Kidal, in north-west Mal in July last year. |
| The men were serving as part of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali - described as the most dangerous in the world. | The men were serving as part of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali - described as the most dangerous in the world. |
| The country's security has gradually worsened since 2013, when French forces repelled allied Islamist and Tuareg rebel fighters who held much of the north, including Timbuktu. | The country's security has gradually worsened since 2013, when French forces repelled allied Islamist and Tuareg rebel fighters who held much of the north, including Timbuktu. |
| The UN says attacks by militant Islamists against government forces, UN peacekeepers and French troops have dramatically increased in recent months. There were 75 attacks between June and September - double the total of the previous four months. Malian troops suffered the heaviest casualties. | The UN says attacks by militant Islamists against government forces, UN peacekeepers and French troops have dramatically increased in recent months. There were 75 attacks between June and September - double the total of the previous four months. Malian troops suffered the heaviest casualties. |
| The UN mission in Mali (Minusma) employs more than 12,000 uniformed personnel and 1,350 civilians, at an annual cost of $1bn (£0.75bn). | |
| The Dutch contingent is mostly involved in reconnaissance missions, police training and intelligence, according to the Netherlands defence ministry. | The Dutch contingent is mostly involved in reconnaissance missions, police training and intelligence, according to the Netherlands defence ministry. |