Mali Receives Four Helicopters and Weapons From Russia

A Malian soldier of the 614th Artillery Battery is pictured during a training session on a D-30 howitzer with the European Union Training Mission (EUTM), in Mali, on March 23, 2021. Paul Lorgerie/Reuters

BAMAKO—A cargo plane delivered four helicopters, weapons, and ammunition from Russia to Mali late on Thursday, Malian interim defense minister Sadio Camara said.

He said Mali had bought the helicopters in a contract agreed in December 2020 to support its armed forces in their battle alongside French, European, and U.N. troops with insurgents linked to ISIS terrorist group and al Qaeda.