![Svenska militärer i öknen]()
The Mali 16 Unit is the final force to participate in a Mali operation.
Photo: Jimmy Croona/Swedish Armed Forces
![FN-personal, militärer och lokalbefolkning i Mali]()
The operation has enabled the civilian parts of the UN to meet with the local population.
Photo: Jimmy Croona/Swedish Armed Forces
The operation was directed south of Gao and went down to the tri-border area of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. An area heavily controlled by both criminal gangs and terrorist groups.
"The objective with the final operation was to protect the locals, to increase the understanding for the security situation in the operational area, while at the same time to disrupt the terrorist groups. We have done this by being in areas where we know that the terrorist groups are, thus limiting their freedom of action and movement", says Contingent Commander Christofer Lennings, and continues:
"Apart from that, we have enabled the civilian parts of the UN to meet with the local population in these vulnerable areas. This enables them to create a better understanding of the security situation and what type of aid that the villages are in need of".
The Mali 16 Unit is the final force to fully participate in a Mali operation. In December, they are replaced by Mali 17 that will go there to dismantle the almost nine year-long mission in Mali by Sweden and the Swedish Armed Forces.