The Netherlands: Troops for Mali

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/world/europe/the-netherlands-troops-for-mali.html

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The Netherlands will contribute about 380 military and police personnel to a United Nations peacekeeping force that is trying to restore stability in Mali, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Friday. France, which once ruled Mali as a colony, led a military intervention this year that drove fighters linked to Al Qaeda from northern Mali, but Paris is now seeking to reduce its presence and bolster the United Nations force. Mr. Rutte said it was in Dutch national interests to help prevent the emergence of an unmanageable situation so close to Europe, given that northern Mali had become a breeding ground for extremists. The main role of the Dutch peacekeepers will be to gather and analyze intelligence for the mission, the Foreign Ministry said. More than 20 countries are contributing soldiers to the peacekeeping force.