German soldiers shot at during UN peacekeeping operation in Mali – latest attack

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According to reports, soldiers from the Mali Army shot at German UN blue helmets near the Camp Castor military camp. The reasons for the gunfire were unclear. Although German soldiers were shot at, there were no injuries reported from the incident, German publication Zeit reports.

The mission in Mali is considered one of the most dangerous deployments for the German army.

There have been calls from politicians for a review into armed forces deployment.

There are approximately 1,200 German troops currently stationed in Mali.

In June, 12 German soldiers were injured in a bomb attack and were among a group of 15 peacekeepers.

Of the 12, three of them suffered serious injuries from the attack in northern Mali.

Henning Otte, German lawmaker and defence policy spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union claimed the incident showed how dangerous the operation is in Mali.

He told DW at the time: “Our thought are with the injured soldiers.

“We pray that they will recover.

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“The incident shows that the mission is dangerous.

“The UN mission is intended to stabilize Mali so that Islamic fundamentalism and terror are unable to gain a foothold there.

“Through this we are also securing Germany in the sense that the security of Germany does not end at the Mediterranean.

“There is no absolute security.

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“Our soldiers are very well trained and equipped.”

In total there are 13,000 UN troops stationed in Mali as part of the peacekeeping operation.

Various terrorist groups are operating in the country including Al Qaeda and ISIS.

Nadia Adam, from the Institute for Security Studies in Bamako said: “Despite the German government’s commitment to increase its military presence in the Sahel — which was unthinkable a few years ago — the country is not yet ready to engage in military operations that are dangerous for its soldiers.

“It is however unlikely that this attack will have serious repercussions for German involvement in Mali and the Sahel.

“The country will undoubtedly rethink its intervention strategy, without, however, withdrawing completely.”

Additional reporting by Monika Pallenberg.

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