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The number of helicopters involved underscored the seriousness of the assault as only one Chinook is required to be on round-the-clock standby. Canada has three Chinooks and five Griffons based with the UN in Gao.

Over the previous five months, Canadian peacekeepers had conducted a total of five evacuations involving six patients. Most of the rest of their time has been spent training and ferrying supplies and personnel to different parts of the country.

Sunday’s attack was the deadliest in months for the UN anywhere in the world. Those killed all came from Chad, bringing the total number of blue-helmets killed in Mali since 2013 to 187. Most of the dead have been from Africa.

At least 25 more peacekeepers were injured during the attack on the UN base at Aguelhoc, responsibility for which was claimed by an Islamic extremist organization that allies itself with al-Qaida, Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen. It’s about 400 kilometres from where the Canadian helicopters are kept.

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The UN says the attackers arrived by vehicle at the camp and that peacekeepers “responded robustly and a number of assailants were killed.” It says it is investigating to hold the perpetrators accountable.

The attack has been condemned by Canada, the UN and other countries, and comes amid concerns about an influx of Islamic jihadists into Mali, which has been gripped by violence and instability since 2012.

The jihadists have been blamed for stoking rivalries and divisions among different ethnic communities in the country, where tensions have been high as a result of drought, poverty and corruption.