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ST. ANDREWS, N.B. – Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says better intelligence capabilities, as well as co-operation with Canada’s allies, are essential for preventing the types of terror attacks that have struck Burkina Faso and other parts of the world.

Six Canadians were killed over the weekend when militants linked to al-Qaida stormed a hotel in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso in West Africa. Days earlier, a Canadian was killed during an attack by Islamic State-inspired terrorists in Indonesia.

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Speaking on the sidelines of a three-day retreat between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet ministers, Sajjan said Canada has “to get better at our intelligence capabilities in other parts of the world so that we have a better chance of preventing attacks like this from happening.

“This only happens if we start working in greater co-operation with our intelligence partners,” he added. “Which means not just the military, but also the police forces as well.”