Chinese peacekeepers to Mali conduct first live-ammunition drill

The snipers of the Chinese peacekeeping force to Mali are shooting at armored targets during a live-ammunition drill.The Chinese peacekeeping force to Mali conducted a two-day live-ammunition tactical drill for the first time at the hinterland of dessert 30 kilometers away from Gao, a city in the northeast of Mali, on June 11, 2014.

The Chinese peacekeeping force to Mali conducted a two-day live-ammunition tactical drill for the first time at a Mali government's light-weapon shooting range located in the hinterland of dessert 30 kilometers away from Gao, a city in the northeast of Mali, on June 11, 2014.

Zhang Geqiang, commanding officer of the first Chinese peacekeeping force to Mali who is responsible for organizing and commanding the drill, said that conducting live-ammunition shooting drills timely for the Chinese peacekeeping force is required not only for maintaining the weapon's good performance, but also for enhancing Chinese peacekeepers' capability in dealing with unexpected events.

Before the drill, the Chinese peacekeeping force to Mali notified the local residents through the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) by multiple means such as broadcast from the radio station, and formed a battlefield first-aid team and a guarding and defense team.

During the drill, five types of weapons including infantry combat vehicle-borne antiaircraft machine gun, heavy machine gun and sniper rifle were used, and eight types of ammunitions such as armor piercing bullet, light tracer and normal bullet were shooted.

It is learnt that the northern Mali suffered from severe weather conditions for successive days. But the security situations in northern Mali are more serious than the weather. Therefore, the Chinese peacekeeping force to Mali, which is responsible for the security guarding and defense of the Theater Headquarters of the MINUSMA, has lifted the warning grade to red color, the highest level.