Swedish soldiers have deployed in a new European special forces mission fighting jihadists in Mali, French military sources said on Friday, reports Yahoo! News.
"The first operations have been carried out," French military spokesman Frédéric Barbry said of the Swedes, adding that they would stay in Mali until the end of the month.
The Swedish parliament approved the deployment of up to 150 soldiers to the so-called Takuba task force in June last year, with reinforcements of up to 100 others. The mandate expires on December 31, 2021.
Backed by three US-made Black Hawk helicopters and a medical unit, the Swedes are being stationed in the Liptako region, a volatile zone close to Mali's border with Niger and Burkina Faso.
Several jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) reputedly operate in the area.