Canada to Send Helicopters to UN Mali Mission, Allies Relieved

Canadian Forces door gunner Sergeant Chad Zopf leans out of a CH-146 Griffon helicopter during a training exercise in Kandahar district, Afghanistan June 18, 2011. Sgt Matthew McGregor/Canada Department of National Defence/Handout via Reuters

OTTAWA—Canada will send six helicopters and 250 support troops to join a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali this year, officials said on Monday, ending two years of deliberations that had upset allies.

Canada plans to deploy two Chinook transport helicopters and four Griffon attack helicopters to provide armed escort and protection in the fight against Islamist militants in the violence-torn West African nation.