An Cosantóir the official magazine of the Irish Defence Forces and Reserve Defence Forces.
Issue link: https://digital.jmpublishing.ie/i/756675
An Cosantóir Dec 2016 / Jan 2017 www.dfmagazine.ie 14 | (ETTF). Additional decentralised training is carried out by the Combined Mobile Advi- sory and Training Teams (CMATT). The Defence Forces has 18 personnel currently deployed to EUTM Mali; three staff officers and four NCOs in Mission HQ, and three officers and eight NCOs in KTC. The current security situation deems north Mali to be a hostile environment, with attacks on peacekeepers and NGOs seen as highly likely. Groups linked to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) are known to be operating in northern Mali, Algeria and Libya, and kidnapping for ran- som remains a common way of funding for these terrorist organisations. Despite a peace accord signed in June 2015 between the Malian government and northern armed groups, an attack was carried out last November by the Al Mu- rabitun group on the Radisson Blu hotel in Bakamo, which is frequented by UN staff, diplomats, and other expatriates. It is be- lieved that the attackers drove a car with diplomatic plates to the hotel, where they took a approximately 100 civilian hostages, shooting those who were not Muslims. Mali National Guard (GNM) and local police cordoned the area, while French and American special operations forces sup- ported the gendarmerie and SWAT teams in assaulting the hotel and freeing the remaining hostages. The attack resulted in 21 civilians, one Malian gendarme, and two terrorists being killed, and seven civilians and two French troops being wounded. On 22nd March 2016 a lone gunman attacked the Nord-Sud hotel where EUTM Mali HQ was based. The attacker tried to force his way through the entry gate; firing an AK47 assault rifle wildly and throwing two grenades over the fence. Local secu- rity guards at the entrance and a Czech soldier on the roof returned fire, killing the attacker, but not before his grenades detonated in the car park and adjoin- ing volleyball court, which was in use by EUTM personnel, including a number of Irish. Thankfully there were no casualties among the mission's personnel and no organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack. In October, An Cosantóir staff visited the EUTM Mali mission area. We received an orientation brief in EUTM HQ from Sgt Gerry O'Gorman (3 Inf Bn), who gave us a detailed brief on the current situation, including an incident the previous morning in which three civilians were killed while working at a police station on the road from Bamako to Sasasso. He also briefed us on the enhanced security in EUTM HQ introduced follow- ing the March attack. This included a new exterior protection system including gabions (large wire mesh baskets filled with rocks/sand) stacked on top of each other and incorporating OPs manned by a MaAF security detail. The main entrance is operated by a civilian security contractor and over-watched by Czech force protec- tion troops and there is a 360-degree view from the roof, from which Czech snipers observe 24/7. In the case of a major incident there is a recall system for the heads of the 'J' sections (J1 Personnel, J4 Logistics and JMed, etc), who would all converge on the J2 Operations Cell to control the situation from there. We then visited the Role 1 medical station and the South African Starlight helicopter medevac service, which oper- ates two Super Puma/Puma, and a BK 117 equipped to transfer intensive care patients with an aeromedical evacuation doctor and paramedic on board. Two days after us, Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Defence Paul Kehoe TD and Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Mark Mellett DSM arrived to visit the Irish contingent. During their stay the minister and chief of staff met the Malian minister of defence, Abdoulaye Idrissa Maïga, and Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the special repre- sentative of the secretary-general and head of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Discussions focussed on the importance of EUTM Mali and its contribution to the security, stability and peace of the region. Minister Kehoe confirmed the commitment of the Irish government to continue training and mentoring the MaAF. On their return to EUTM HQ, the minister and the COS met with Brig Gen Eric Harvent, who expressed his gratitude for Ireland's contribution to EUTM and praised the work of Irish personnel serving in the mission. Following this meeting Minister Kehoe and Vice Admiral Mellett presented CSDP service medals to 15 members of the Irish contingent. Addressing the Irish contingent, Minister Kehoe said: "Our continued participation in this mission supports Ireland's ongoing commitment to international peace and se- curity through the deployment of Defence Forces contingents on peace support and crisis management operations". He also spoke of the considerable sacrifices, dan- gers and hardships soldiers endure as part of their commitment to overseas missions. Later the VIP guests observed Defence Forces instructors with CMATT conduct- ing infantry training and radio procedures in Kati. With the help of EUTM translators Minister Kehoe and Vice Admiral Mellett were able to chat with the Malian soldiers and ask about their training. They also spoke with Cpl Nigel Kennedy (DFHQ) who was returning home in a few days after a seven-month trip with EUTM. Nigel's first day in the mission area was the day of the March attack on EUTM HQ and he was playing volleyball that evening with other contingent members when they heard the gunshots and saw EUTM cars being hit by gunfire. They immediate- ly took cover behind the unloading pit as two grenades detonated on the volleyball court. Nigel also told the distinguished guest about how CQMS Niall Jacobs and CQMS Jay Curly risked exposure to gunfire in helping a female Austrian soldier to safety before the attacker was taken out by Czech force protection personnel. (As it turned out, Nigel's trip also ended accompanied by the sound of gunfire as armed assailants gunned down a man coming out of a bank 300m from EUTM HQ in what is assumed to have been an armed robbery.) Minister Kehoe concluded his visit by extending his gratitude and that of the government saying: "People at home can take great pride in all that the Defence Forces have done, and continue to do on overseas service, often in very challenging environments."