Qatar airlifts 24 armored vehicles to Mali to ‘help Sahel region combat terrorism’

Qatar has airlifted 24 armored vehicles to Mali, in a move it said would help the countries of the African Sahel region combat terrorism. Military planes delivered the vehicles, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said, adding the shipment would help establish security not only in Mali but also in the African Sahel countries. The G5 of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania last year created a military task force to root out jihadist violence. Qatar has increased efforts to show it is a force for good in international security since its Gulf Arab neighbors imposed a diplomatic and economic boycott on it in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism, Reuters said.